The 2024 postseason has featured a historic run for Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks filled with lots of signature moments. Not in Game 3.
With 13.6 seconds remaining, Brunson attempted to draw a shooting foul on a three-point attempt in a double team.
He missed, the Knicks fouled, and two free throws from Aaron Nesmith sealed the Indiana Pacers‘ first win of the series.
Brunson owned up to the poor shot selection following the loss when asked if he liked the shot when he put it up.
“Not really,” he told SNY postgame on May 10. “It’s a terrible decision. Something I need to learn from. I knew the time, I knew everything that was going on. I just made a terrible decision.”
He finished the game with 26 points, 6 assists, and 1 steal in 38 minutes played, on 10-of-26 shooting with 5 turnovers.
It was an uncharacteristic night from Brunson, who’s struggling with right foot soreness that had him listed as questionable for Game 3.
He played just 38 minutes, which outside of Game 2 when he missed most of the first half with injury, is his lowest mark since Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brunson and the Knicks will continue depending on each other going into Game 4, but neither party is 100-percent.
With an opportunity to tie the series, the Pacers will be just as desperate, if not more, the next time these two teams meet.
Knicks’ Odds with 2-1 Series Lead
According to Land of Basketball, of all 164 Conference Semifinals series to get out to a 2-1 start, the team with the lead won 79.9-percent of the time.
The Phoenix Suns are the last team to blow a 2-0 lead in the second round, when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in 2022.
So it would seem the Pacers odds are still low.
But with so many players injured and sidelined for the Knicks, there’s an unquantifiable element to the series. OG Anunoby‘s absence was felt prime among them in Game 3.
Wojnarowski: ‘OG Out for Game 4’
Prior to Game 3 tip-off, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Anunoby’s injury, and his timeline for a return.
The news wasn’t good for New York.
“The expectation is,” Wojnarowski said on a May 9 episode of NBA Countdown. “I’m told, that OG Anunoby will also be out for Game 4 on Sunday. And this is a Knicks team that has to prepare for the possibility that he may be out longer than that with that left hamstring injury.”
Anunoby left Game 2 in the third quarter after straining his hamstring, amidst his best offensive performance with the Knicks.
He was up to 28 points when he went down, his most scored since arriving in New York on December 31 and a playoff career-high.
Wojnarowski went on to highlight just how depleted New York is as a team, and highlight further pessimism on Anunoby’s return.
“This is a fight of attrition right now for the Knicks. Without Julius Randle, without Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic, all out essentially for the season. The Knicks are really meeting the max limit of the players they’re going to need to compete in this series. Getting OG Anunoby back would be crucial but right now, expectation is he is out for both of these games in Indiana, possibly beyond.”
Precious Achiuwa was no Anunoby in Game 3, his first start for the Knicks since March 10.
He finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 21 minutes, and ended the game with a -6 plus/minus.
Jalen Brunson is banged up and OG Anunoby is out. If one of those things doesn’t change for the New York Knicks, what was once a 2-0 lead could soon be a 2-2 tie headed back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5.
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