New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has fired warning shots at the other teams in the Eastern Conference after their 118-115 win over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
The 27-year-old All-Star, who said he and his teammates are looking forward to their next obstacle, reiterated that they will only continue to get better on the road to achieving their goal.
Brunson led New York with 41 points and 12 assists, shooting 13-of-27 from the field and 12-of-16 on free throws, as they saw off the Sixers in Game 6 to win their East playoff first-round series 4-2 and progress to the second round.
“No matter what going forward, every situation is different,” the Knicks guard said. “Obviously this is a really big test for us and we were able to come out on top.
“But going forward you don’t know what the future holds. And so, maybe a different test, maybe something completely different.
“But this definitely helps and obviously we want to learn while winning. And so obviously we’re still playing and we’re going to continue to get better.”
MUST SEE TV 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/siW248gEA3
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 3, 2024
Brunson scored a total of 213 points across the six games against Philadelphia, whose season comes to an end after the first round. He scored 40 points or more in each of the final three games and became the first Knicks player to do that since Bernard King 40 years ago and the first NBA player to score 40 or more to close out a series since Michael Jordan for Chicago against Cleveland in 1989.
Josh Hart, who hit the go-ahead 3-pointer that put New York ahead with 24.4 seconds left, finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists; Donte DiVincenzo had 23 points and five 3s; OG Anunoby had 19 points and 9 rebounds; and Isaiah Hartenstein poured in 14 points and 9 rebounds for the Knicks, who had all their starters in double figures.
🗣️KNICKS IN SIX pic.twitter.com/9nAp6qQYcl
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 3, 2024
Joel Embiid, who has been battling with a knee injury, led the 76ers with 39 points and 13 rebounds; Buddy Hield had 20 points and six 3s; Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. both finished with 17 points apiece; and Nicolas Batum got 16 points.
Semifinals up next – Let’s get it 🔒 pic.twitter.com/iPgdf2ZcBc
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 3, 2024
In the East semi-finals, the Knicks, who are through to the second round in consecutive years for the first time since the postseasons from 1992–2000, will face the Indiana Pacers, who saw off the Milwaukee Bucks in six games to advance to the second round for the first time in 10 years.
The Knicks have homecourt advantage having finished ahead of the Pacers in the regular season, and they will kick off the series on Monday night, with Game 1 slated for Madison Square Garden in New York.
