Knicks lose to Pacers again despite Jalen Brunson's 36 points, now 0-2 in Eastern Conference finals
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The Knicks have thrived on adversity throughout the season and especially through the postseason.
So do they now have the Indiana Pacers right where they want them?
It’s the only optimistic take left for the Knicks, who fell into a two-games-to-none hole with a 114-109 loss on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. On the heels of their Game 1 collapse, the Knicks have dropped both games at home and now head to Indiana to try to get back in the series.
“I’ve said this so many times that I have the utmost confidence and trust in my teammates,” Jalen Brunson said. “We’ve been in positions where we’ve been counted out and found a way to win. Just one step at a time.”
It is one step, understandably focusing on Sunday night at Gainbridge Field House. But after their historic collapse in Game 1, the Knicks provided little hope in Game 2 with the same defensive lapses and puzzling offensive decisions. Even the lineup has caused social media to flood with disbelieving fans who wonder why the starters have been so disjointed.
The Knicks have suffered heartbreaking losses in their run through the postseason. They also have been blown out in humiliating fashion, dropping 22- and 25-point disasters to Boston. In each case, as panic set in around them, the Knicks managed to remain calm and insist that they were moving on to the next game, and entering Friday night, they had yet to lose two straight games in the playoffs.
So whether it was ignoring the leprechaun dancing in front of them in Boston or the latest meme created by this incarnation of the latest Pacers villain, Tyrese Haliburton mimicking Reggie Miller’s choke gesture, the Knicks were letting others worry about the meaning and looking forward.
“The mood is always going to be to go win the next game,” Josh Hart said. “That doesn’t change if you’re up 2-0 or you’re down 2-0. We’ve had our backs against the wall in multiple circumstances this year and we kept fighting, got out of it. Nothing changes. We have to go out there and execute and focus on winning the next game.”
Just as the Knicks seemed in control Wednesday for much of the game — taking leads of 17 points with 6:26 remaining in regulation, 14 with 2:51 left and nine with 58.8 seconds left in what became a 138-135 overtime loss — they gave little hint that they were going to find themselves lost on this night. But with the score tied at 81 after three quarters, the second unit that had carried them in the first half suddenly faded.
The Knicks looked lost at the start of the fourth quarter, falling behind by nine points in a three-minute span with Brunson on the bench. Somehow the Knicks repeatedly lost Pascal Siakam, who scored 39 points.
So Tom Thibodeau sent Brunson and OG Anunoby into the game a little sooner than he usually would, and a hopeful “Let’s Go Knicks” chant rose up at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks trailed 110-100 before Anunoby sank two free throws with 2:25 to play. Brunson hit a three-pointer and a tough shot in the lane to bring the Knicks within 110-107 with 1:06 to play, and after multiple misses by Indiana, the Knicks got the ball back with 35 seconds left.
But rather than rush to get two opportunities, they didn’t shoot until Brunson found Hart under the rim for a layup with 14.9 seconds left to make it a one-point game. Brunson fouled Aaron Nesmith on the inbounds play, grabbing his jersey, and Nesmith sank both shots for a three-point lead. This time the Knicks rushed and Brunson fired up a long three-point attempt with 8.6 seconds left that bounced harmlessly away. Myles Turner grabbed the rebound and converted two free throws with 4.2 seconds left to secure the win for Indiana.
“I was looking for a three, but I saw him wide open with enough time to kind of play trap, steal, foul game,” Brunson said. “Obviously it didn’t go in our favor. We had more than enough time and opportunity to get to where we want to get to.”
Brunson attempted one more three-point attempt that misfired at the buzzer.
Brunson had 36 points and Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20, but Towns endured a disappointing night. The Pacers repeatedly attacked him on the defensive end and he played only 27:41 as Thibodeau turned to Mitchell Robinson for much of the game.
The Knicks seemed oddly sluggish at the start, and 6:41 into the game, with his team already trailing by 10, Thibodeau subbed in Deuce McBride and Robinson for Hart and Towns, and the game immediately changed with an energy boost. McBride started it with five quick points to key a 10-0 run to tie the score. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks had taken a 26-24 lead.
Thibodeau stuck with them, not just to start the second quarter but for nearly the entire quarter. McBride remained on the floor to the halftime buzzer and Robinson came out to a huge ovation with 1:42 left in the half. He went back in for defense before halftime and the Knicks had a 52-49 lead.
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.
