Jalen Brunson's 40 points lift Knicks over Pacers for ninth straight win
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks reacts after a three-point basket in the second half against the Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
For much of the night, it seemed as if the Knicks would have to settle for the good news about the All-Star selections of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle and the optimistic outlook regarding Randle’s return from a dislocated right shoulder.
But after the Knicks fell behind by 15 points in the second quarter, with the Indiana Pacers doing whatever they could to slow Brunson — from double-teaming him to beating him up — Brunson changed the story for the night. With a 40-point effort and a display of just why he is an All-Star, he lifted the Knicks to an improbable 109-105 win at Madison Square Garden.
With chants of “MVP!’’ that began as he was introduced (with the addition of “All-Star”) and continued through the game and into the postgame celebration, Brunson was the key piece, but just one of many.
The shorthanded roster — missing Randle and OG Anunoby for a third straight game and adding Quentin Grimes (knee) to the list of sidelined players — somehow managed to allow the Knicks (32-17) to get through another day of rest and rehabilitation for the missing pieces and earn their ninth straight victory. With 15 wins in their last 17 games, they have moved within a half-game of the second-place Bucks in the Eastern Conference — thanks in large part to Brunson.
“What do you want me to say?” Donte DiVincenzo said. “He did exactly what everybody expects him to do, what he’s been doing all season long. 1A, 1B, it doesn’t matter. The dude is an All-Star. He’s having an MVP-caliber season right now. He should be the player of the month this month. What else can I say? The dude’s doing everything he possibly can for us to win games. It’s not easy right now with Julius going down, OG going down, Mitch [Robinson] not being here. Everything’s been thrown against us and he’s still willing us to win games.”
This didn’t come easy as Brunson was battered regularly. With two minutes remaining, he took a clear blow to the face by Andrew Nembhard as the Pacers double-teamed him in the backcourt. He went to the floor in pain, appearing to have been hit in the eye, and Indiana’s Jalen Smith picked up the ball and scored a go-ahead basket. But after a timeout, Brunson attacked again, going to the basket for a floater and giving the Knicks the lead back.
After he missed a free throw, the Knicks grabbed the rebound and DiVincenzo hit a short jumper. Precious Achiuwa tipped in a miss and the Knicks’ lead was up to five with just over a minute left.
“It was a great win,” Brunson said. “You’ve got to give it to that team over there — they play hard, they play fast and they play physical. Coach [Rick] Carlisle is going to have those guys ready. We just found a way to make plays. We kept ourselves in striking distance, especially when things weren’t going our way. Once we got a little bit of a roll, got some stops, we found a way to win.”
DiVincenzo had 20 points and Deuce McBride added 16 off the bench. Achiuwa had 12 points, 16 rebounds and four steals. Hartenstein grabbed 19 rebounds and had 12 points and six assists.
The bigger long-term news was that Randle remains on course for a return in weeks, not months. The team announced that he will be reevaluated in two to three weeks. The initial belief after X-rays and an MRI on Saturday night, as well as additional testing, was that Randle avoided major structural damage. This report lines up with that. While the team still has not ruled out the possibility of surgery, he already has begun the rehab process and there is optimism that he will be back before too long.
“Yeah, I don’t know the specifics on it,” coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked if surgery absolutely has been ruled out. “I know the rehab has started and I feel sorry for the [physical therapists]. You know the way Jules works. So he’s upbeat and he’s feeling better, so just take it day by day and hopefully everything goes well.
“You know his makeup. That’s what you love about the guy. It’ll be full-bore. He’ll give it everything he has to get back as quick as he can. But we’re not going to put him in harm’s way. We’re going to make sure he’s healthy before he gets out there. But we’re encouraged.”
The current timetable would bring Randle to the All-Star break. In a best-case scenario, the lengthy time off could allow him to return Feb. 22 when the Knicks start up the post-break portion of the schedule in Philadelphia.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
