Jalen Brunson wanted answers. He was looking for his gun.
The Knicks star was forcing action, missing his first three shots. Almost nine minutes passed before he scored his first points.
More than 10 minutes passed before he made his first field goal. When Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals ended, the 76ers were happy with the defense of the Knicks captain, who had scored at least 35 points in five consecutive playoff games against the 76ers.
But Brunson delivered the final touches in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 108-102 victory at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, hitting a series of shots, while scoring eight of the team’s final 15 points.
The Knicks captain finished with a team-high 26 points — shooting 9-for-21, including 1-for-5 on 3-pointers and 7-for-8 from the line — with six assists, three turnovers and a steal.
“It affected the shooting,” 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe said. “Brunson made a lot of tough shots late. We missed a lot of open shots.”
It’s not a coincidence. The team that never got past the second round with Joel Embiid has played badly again and again, and last season’s Clutch Player of the Year ensured that the Knicks won twice in a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals.
Just after Brunson went in with more than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Tyrese Maxey put the Sixers ahead with a back-to-back jumper.
Brunson answered 13 seconds later, tying the game at 94 with a jumper in the lane. With just over five minutes left, Brunson hit a pull-up jumper to put the Knicks ahead for good.
“They started to change a little and then he got to his spots and scored,” said coach Mike Brown. “That is what he is expected to do for us.”
With less than four minutes remaining, Brunson drew a sellout crowd, challenging 6-foot-9 Dominick Barlow with a level of offensive artistry that would be at home in Rucker Park or MoMA.
Brunson focused on the opener, falling over the tall defender multiple times, going behind and with his legs, before turning to the foul line and unleashing a long jumper that hit nothing but the net, putting the Knicks up 103-99.
Brunson added two free throws with 1:07 to put the Knicks up by seven.
“Most importantly [was] just staying calm, staying organized, just thinking one game at a time, one step at a time and not looking too far ahead,” Brunson said.
