Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns matched a record last set by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
The New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks will travel to Indiana to play Game 6 and come back from being down 3-1.
Much of the attention from tonight’s game went to Tyrese Haliburton, who put up one of the worst performances of his career.
But it’s hard to ignore just how well Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns played tonight. Both stars combined to score 56 points, with KAT going for 24 and Brunson dropping 32 points.
Udonis Haslem told Knicks players to demand better from Towns and Brunson before Game 5. And they delivered a performance that the team desperately needed.
Read More: Stephen A. Smith compares Rick Carlisle to Tom Thibodeau, ‘I’m going to say it…’
After both players dropped 20+ points in Game 5, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are resembling a legendary guard-center duo.
They became the first pair of teammates to score 20+ points in the first five games of a conference finals since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did in 2002 against the Sacramento Kings.
Perhaps Brunson and KAT are trying to replicate the 2002 Lakers’ path to the NBA Finals, where they had to play seven games to reach the NBA Finals.
However, despite these strong performances, the Knicks find themselves down 3-2, a position Bryant and O’Neal were not in.
Read More: ‘My standards’… Carmelo Anthony has clear response to potentially taking Tom Thibodeau’s job at Knicks
The Knicks are trying to come back after going down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tonight’s win was a step in the right direction.
While certainly not impossible, coming back from a 3-1 deficit is incredibly difficult and requires a lot of things to go your way.
The Knicks have an advantage in that Game 7 is at home for them. However, they still have to win in Indiana.
The Knicks are one of the best road teams in the playoffs right now, and have the numbers to try and win another road game en route to breaking the Houston Rockets’ 1995 record.
But it’s a big hurdle for them to overcome, one that is going to take every ounce of energy from them. Brunson and KAT must deliver in the next game if they want a chance to make history.
