NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 44 points, reaching 40 for the fifth time this postseason, and the New York Knicks moved a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals trip since 2000 by beating the Indiana Pacers 121-91 on Tuesday night in Game 5.
The Knicks rebounded from a blowout loss on Sunday and guaranteed themselves at least one more game at Madison Square Garden in front of their roaring fans who have been aching to see big games in late spring again. Josh Hart had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Miles McBride scored 17 points after he was inserted into the starting lineup.
The No. 2-seeded Knicks can win the second-round series Friday night at Indianapolis after the first two-day break between games in the series. (Caitlin Clark‘s WNBA home debut with the Indiana Fever is scheduled for Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.)
“We still need one more win so we can’t get too excited about it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We have to understand what we need to do, stay focused on the task at hand. If you feel good about yourself you get knocked down in this league. We’ve got to be ready to go.”
Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday afternoon in New York.
Brunson hurt his right foot in Game 2 and was limited to 18 points on Sunday, his…
