Jalen Brunson scored 43 points as the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 121-117 in a thrilling game one of their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
It was Brunson’s fourth successive 40-point game, making him just the fourth player in NBA play-off history to achieve the feat after Jerry West in 1965, Bernard King in 1984 and Michael Jordan in 1993.
Donte DiVincenzo had 25 points, with 21 of them coming in the second half, while Josh Hart added 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks.
“I’m not going, ‘I have to score 40’,” said 27-year-old Brunson. “That’s not my mindset at all. I want to be aggressive and make plays for myself and for others.”
Myles Turner led Indiana with 23 points and Pascal Siakam added 19.
The Pacers led for much of the game, with the Knicks only taking the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter.
DiVincenzo’s three-pointer put New York up 118-115 with 40.4 seconds remaining before Siakam’s lay-up brought Indiana back within one.
The Pacers then had a chance to take the lead but Turner was called for a moving screen and Brunson sealed the win for the Knicks from the free-throw line.