Jalen Brunson led the shorthanded Knicks to a ninth straight victory on Thursday night, coming back to beat the Pacers behind 40 points from Brunson, on the night he learned he was named an All-Star for the first time.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the frenzied crowd at Madison Square Garden stayed at their seats to rain “MVP” chants down on Brunson, who fought back tears during his postgame interview on the floor with MSG’s Alan Hahn.
“That was fun,” Brunson said, looking up and around at the scene at The Garden. “That was fun.”
Asked what it means to be named an All-Star and to hear the love from the Knicks fans on the same night, Brunson had to fight even harder to hold back the emotions that were overcoming him.
“I mean, I got nothing to say,” Brunson said as his eyes welled up. “I got nothing to say.”
It’s been a fairy tale ride for Brunson and the Knicks, who have catapulted themselves to third place in the Eastern Conference with a 15-2 record in 2024. Despite injuries to key players like Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Quentin Grimes, New York keeps rolling with Brunson as the engine.
Thursday night was no different, erasing a 15-point deficit to take down Indiana.
“We kept fighting, man,” Brunson said. “No matter what, we’re gonna keep fighting. That’s what we do. We’re gonna keep fighting every single night. Especially here. This place is unbelievable.”
