Knicks beat Pacers 130-121 for a 2-0 lead in East 1/2 finals

Jalen Brunson returned from a right-foot problem to notch 24 of his 29 points in the 2^nd half, helping the NY Knicks to defeat the Indiana Pacers 130-121 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference ½ finals.

On the anniversary of Willis Reed’s unforgettable emergence from the locker room before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to lead New York to their 1^st championship, Jalen sent the home fans into a frenzy when he returned to warm up at halftime after missing the entire 2^nd quarter while Indiana secured a double-digit lead.

Thats 2-0, ya heard! 🔒 pic.twitter.com/8ng8DejLHU

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 9, 2024

Brunson felt short of becoming the 2^nd basketballer in the league history to had 40 or more points in 5 consecutive postseason matches, but he provided his team everything they needed to move within 2 wins from their 1^st East Conference finals series since 2000.

OG Anunoby had a career postseason-high 28 points before sustaining a left hamstring problem in the 3^rd quarter and left the court for the injury-plagued New York, who have already lost 3 crucial basketballers to campaign-ending injuries.

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Donte DiVincenzo notched 28 points, and Josh Hart had 19 points, 15 boards, and 7 assists for the 2^nd-seeded Knicks.

Protect home court 🔒

JB 29 PTS | 5 AST | 3 STL
Donte 28 PTS | 6 REB
OG 28 PTS | 4 REB
Josh 19 PTS | 15 REB | 7 AST
Hartenstein 14 PTS | 12 REB | AST pic.twitter.com/pPynqv8nw6

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 9, 2024

Tyrese Haliburton finished with 34 points, 9 assists and 6 boards for Indiana after the disappointing Game 1 but his team lost again.