PHILADELPHIA – Jalen Brunson hailed his team’s fighting spirit after scoring 41 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 118-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on May 2, clinching a 4-2 series win to book a National Basketball Association second-round play-off clash with the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers powered into the other Eastern Conference semi-finals with a convincing 120-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that also sealed their 4-2 series win.
It came down to the wire in Philadelphia, where Knicks forward Josh Hart, fed by Brunson, drilled a three-pointer to put New York up 114-111 with 25.6 seconds remaining.
Sixers star Joel Embiid cut the deficit to one with a driving lay-up seconds later but then fouled out, and the Knicks polished it off with free throws from Donte DiVincenzo and Brunson.
Brunson said that after failing to close out Philadelphia at home in Game 5, the Knicks knew they needed a faster start.
They led by 22 points in the first quarter, only to see the Sixers claw back to lead by three at half-time and push their advantage to as many as 10 in the third quarter.
“Obviously they fought back and took the lead, but that good start helped us,” he said.
“The way we kept fighting, that’s what we’ve been talking about all year – just making sure we keep fighting no matter what. No matter what the situation is, we’re going to stick together, we’re going to fight.”
That worked out in the end as the Knicks were the better side in the final period. Brunson added 12 assists, DiVincenzo scored 23 points with two steals and three blocked shots and O.G. Anunoby contributed 19 points. Hart finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Embiid, last season’s Most Valuable Player whose campaign was disrupted by knee surgery in February, scored 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds at Wells Fargo Centre.
In Indiana, the Pacers relentlessly pulled away after trailing by seven in the opening minutes.
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton delivered a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, but it was reserve guard Obi Toppin leading the Pacers’ scoring with a career play-off high of 21 points.
T.J. McConnell added 20 points off the bench along with nine assists and four steals as the Pacers reserves contributed a whopping 50 points at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I’m so proud of the perseverance,” Haliburton said of Toppin and McConnell.
“Obviously neither of them had a really good game last game – none of us did. We just responded the right way.”
Eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard returned from a two-game injury absence and led the Bucks with 28 points. The Bucks, who won the title in 2021, lost in the first round for the second straight season after falling to Miami previously.
The Pacers had not won a play-off series since 2014, when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. AFP
