MIAMI — The Jalen Brunson admiration society prolonged to the opposing locker room following his 48-minute masterpiece in Recreation 5 towards the Warmth on Wednesday.
Brunson and Quentin Grimes performed each second of the Knicks’ season-extending victory on the Backyard, with their place to begin guard scoring a game-high 38 factors to propel his group to its subsequent likelihood to keep away from elimination in Recreation 6 on Friday night time in South Florida.
“He has an awesome aggressive will,” Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned after the sport about Brunson. “So, he’s going to proceed to assault, he’s going to attempt to manipulate the protection. He’s aggressive, he’s bodily, however he additionally is aware of how to attract fouls.
“He’s intelligent, so he has that mixture. So be it, it’s a must to respect him as a competitor after which discover a option to get the job executed.”
Brunson and Grimes turned the primary pair of Knicks to play 48 minutes apiece in a regulation postseason recreation since Walt Frazier and Jerry Lucas went the space towards the Celtics in 1972.
The 26-year-old Brunson additionally registered 9 rebounds and 7 assists in Recreation 5 to change into the primary participant in Knicks historical past to attain no less than 38 factors with that many boards and assists in a single postseason recreation.
“He’s proficient; there’s nice expertise that child has there,” veteran Warmth guard Kyle Lowry mentioned. “The person has performed 45 minutes and 48 minutes within the final couple of video games, so you bought to provide him credit score. He’s simply being aggressive and persevering with to assault.”
All-Star heart Bam Adebayo didn’t suppose the Warmth did sufficient defensively to contest Brunson’s appears on the basket inside and outdoors the 3-point arc. Brunson completed 12-for-22 from the ground, 4-for-10 from lengthy distance and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line for a .545/.400/.833 slash line.
“He’s artful, that’s one factor about him. Our job is for him to make tough photographs and I really feel like he received in a groove in his spots, and he was making his photographs,” Adebayo mentioned.
Comply with The Put up’s protection of the Knicks vs. Warmth NBA playoff collection
“I believe we had an opportunity to shut out tonight. They didn’t allow us to,” Lowry added. “They performed their butts off and we give them credit score for a way they performed at residence. Now we have to go residence and do our job and defend residence court docket.
“They did their job, they protected residence court docket and we’ve received to reply on Friday.”
And if which means somebody on the Warmth taking part in the complete recreation, as Brunson and Grimes did?
“If [Spoelstra] tells me to play 48 minutes, I’ll be suited and booted and prepared to try this,” mentioned star ahead Jimmy Butler, who missed Recreation 2 with an ankle damage. “And we’ll win.”
Brunson and the Knicks might need one thing to say about that.
