Jalen Brunson delivered a composed response following the New York Knicks’ 106-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night.
Despite early foul trouble and a cold shooting start, Brunson stayed locked in and drilled a critical driving layup midway through the fourth quarter that gave New York its first lead since the opening minutes.
“Honestly, just focusing on the moment and clearing my mind,” Brunson said postgame when asked about his mindset down the stretch. “Not really worrying about what’s happened previously.”
The Knicks trailed by 16 in the third quarter before Karl-Anthony Towns took over in the fourth, scoring 20 of his 24 points to shift momentum.
Brunson, who finished with 23 points on 6-for-18 shooting, acknowledged the emotional swings during a game in which things weren’t falling for most of the night.
“It’s a long game,” Brunson said. “Things can happen. Things can not go your way. You can easily crash out or you can respond the right way.”
Towns praised his teammate’s late-game composure: “Would you expect anything less from JB? He got that award for a reason.”
Asked about his role in regrouping the team during timeouts, Brunson pointed to leadership responsibilities and unity.
“Just making sure we’re all on the same page. Simple as that,” he said.
Brunson also spoke on Josh Hart’s decision to come off the bench, a move that had been discussed since Game 5 of the previous round.
“He wants to win,” Brunson said. “Doesn’t care for anything individual. Just wants to win.”
Hart contributed 10 rebounds and six made free throws in 34 minutes off the bench, helping stabilize New York defensively.
The Knicks’ victory trimmed Indiana’s series lead to 2-1 ahead of Game 4 on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Brunson’s late heroics were critical in sealing a win that resets the tone of the series.
