He went 4-10 from behind the arc, many of which were off the dribble right in the defender's face while using a bevy of floaters and layups to go 8-12 on two-point shots. It’s this shift in mindset to working for the easiest, most efficient shots plus the promise that Brunson is going to play every meaningful minute of Game 6 that has me bullish on what is an admittedly high prop number.īy cutting out his usually heavy diet of post-ups and pivot-based attacks in the paint, Brunson was able to conserve his energy as well as generate the most high-value shots in the game. Instead in Game 5, Brunson didn’t take a single shot outside of the paint that wasn’t a three. He thrives on midrange shots, often the dreaded long two, using a combination of next-level touch, endless pivots, and guile to create efficient offense from some of the least valuable parts of the court. Brunson is a player who has long gone against the grain when it comes to desirable shot profiles. Perhaps the most remarkable part of Brunson’s game was just how little it resembled his previous dominant performances. Remarkably, not only was Brunson the game’s most productive and efficient scorer despite drawing Jimmy Butler as his primary defender, he also only conceded a single turnover.īrunson was involved in essentially every play of consequence for the Knicks in a must-win game and produced a stat line only comparable to Walt Frazier’s Game 7 title-winning masterpiece against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970. Usually, a coach pays the piper at some point for stretching a player's minutes to the extreme like that, either with wavering defense, inefficiency, turnovers, or all of the above. The former Villanova guard played the entire game, and managed 38 points on 12-22 from the floor, to go with nine rebounds and seven assists. While Randle struggled to gain traction until the second half, going 1-7 over the first 24 minutes of action, Brunson kept the Knicks afloat. Tom Thibodeau often affectionately refers to now two-time All-NBA player Julius Randle as the engine of the Knicks' offense, but he might have to pass that baton off to Jalen Brunson after his heroics in Game 5. Knicks vs Heat Game 6 picks and predictions Heat believe Brunson will continue his torrid scoring with New York’s season hanging in the balance. Our NBA picks and predictions for Game 6 of Knicks vs. It remains to be seen if the Knicks can do the improbable again, or if Miami can avoid a potential win-or-go-home scenario at Madison Square Garden. The Heat now have another chance to close things out on Friday, May 11 back on their home floor. But behind one of the most legendary playoff performances in Knicks history, point guard Jalen Brunson played all 48 minutes of the game and willed New York over the finish line. After a languid opening quarter where they scored just 14 points and committed every manner of backbreaking foul imaginable, the Miami Heat looked poised to put them out of their misery and book their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. The New York Knicks were on life support.
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