Jalen Brunson has found his footing.
After a wayward Game 4 due to a lingering foot injury, Brunson stepped up in Game 5 for the Knicks to lead a 121-91 victory over the Pacers with 44 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a 51 percent field-goal percentage.
Brunson’s performance Tuesday made him the first player with five 40-point games in a playoff run since LeBron James in 2018 and marks the second most 40-plus point games in a single postseason in Knicks playoff history.
He now trails just behind Bernard King, who produced six 40-plus efforts games in the 1984 postseason.
This was Brunson’s second 40-plus-point game of the series against the Pacers after producing 43 points in Game 1.
Brunson gave the Knicks a scare in leaving Game 2 with a foot injury, returning as a shell of himself to finish out the night, and struggled to do much the following game.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Brunson jumped an average of 2 inches shorter on his shots in Games 2 and 3 than he did during the regular season.
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Aside from a brutal Game 4 performance in which Brunson didn’t hit a single jump shot and regularly missed wide-open 3 pointers, he’s been a force for the Knicks despite his lingering injury.
The star said he was “fine” going in to Games 2 and 3, where he produced 29 and 26 points, respectively.
The Knicks now lead 3-2 in their second-round playoff series — largely thanks to Brunson’s elite-level play.