Current:Home > NewsFastexy:Jalen Brunson is a true superstar who can take Knicks where they haven't been in decades -CapitalCourse
Fastexy:Jalen Brunson is a true superstar who can take Knicks where they haven't been in decades
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-08 23:45:12
The FastexyPhiladelphia 76ers made it interesting and made it difficult on the New York Knicks.
What they didn’t do was make it to Game 7.
The Knicks eliminated the 76ers with a 118-115 victory in Game 6 Thursday.
The Knicks once again have point guard Jalen Brunson to thank for that.
Brunson, who was phenomenal in the series, scored a game-high 41 points and delivered a game-high 12 assists in Game 6 and ensured the Knicks advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The Knicks will play the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals and try to get to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
Throughout the season, a truth emerged for the Knicks: they will go as far as Brunson takes them.
Making his first All-Star team this season and headed for his first All-NBA selection, the 6-foot-2 Brunson averaged 35.5 points and 9.0 assists and shot 42.9% from the field, 30.4% on 3-pointers and 77.8% on free throws against the Sixers.
He set a Knicks playoff scoring record with 47 points in Game 4, and in Game 6, he scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and made important shot after important shot.
His back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Knicks a 101-95 lead midway through the fourth quarter and a 12-foot jump shot put the Knicks up 107-99 with 3:27 left in the fourth. Another short jumper gave the Knicks a 111-108 lead. And Brunson’s assist to Josh Hart on a 3-pointer gave the Knicks a 114-111 lead, and his two free throws with 7.7 seconds left accounted for the Knicks’ final points.
"He's our engine, we just got to keep feeding off that," Knicks teammate Josh Hart said.
Brunson became just the second player to register at least 35 points and 10 assists three times in a series, joining Oscar Robertson, and he is the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to score at least 37 points in four consecutive playoff games.
Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey and Brunson delivered stellar and entertaining guard play, and the same is expected in the Knicks-Pacers series featuring Brunson and Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.
Las Vegas Aces coach and ESPN basketball analyst Becky Hammon created a controversy earlier this season when she said the Knicks didn’t have a 1A player.
Brunson, 27, is showing he is that guy and gets an even bigger stage against the Pacers.
veryGood! (12)
Related
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Offense galore: Record night for offensive players at 2024 NFL draft; QB record also tied
- Paramedic sentencing in Elijah McClain’s death caps trials that led to 3 convictions
- 2024 NFL Draft: Day 1 recap of first-round picks
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Body believed to be that of trucker missing for 5 months found in Iowa farm field, but death remains a mystery
- A parent's guide to 'Challengers': Is Zendaya's new movie appropriate for tweens or teens?
- The Best Spring Floral Dresses That Are Comfy, Cute, and a Breath of Fresh Air
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Planning for potential presidential transition underway as Biden administration kicks it off
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Kelly Osbourne says brother Jack shot her in the leg when they were kids: 'I almost died'
- When Is Wayfair Way Day 2024? Everything You Need to Know to Score the Best Deals
- 10-Year-Old Boy Calls 911 to Report Quadruple Murder-Suicide of His Entire Family
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Will Messi play at Gillette Stadium? New England hosts Inter Miami: Here’s the latest
- When Is Wayfair Way Day 2024? Everything You Need to Know to Score the Best Deals
- Vets exposed to Agent Orange at US bases denied VA compensation
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Help is coming for a Jersey Shore town that’s losing the man-vs-nature battle on its eroded beaches
Military veteran charged with attempting to make ricin to remain jailed
King Charles III to resume royal duties next week after cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace says
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
The EPA says lead in Flint's water is at acceptable levels. Residents still have concerns about its safety.
These are the countries where TikTok is already banned
Fed’s preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures stayed elevated last month