\n<\/p>\n
Jalen Brunson scored 43 points as the New York Knicks<\/b> beat the Indiana Pacers<\/b> 121-117 in a thrilling game one of their Eastern Conference semi-final series.<\/p>\n
It was Brunson’s fourth successive 40-point game, making him just the fourth player in NBA play-off history to achieve the feat after Jerry West in 1965, Bernard King in 1984 and Michael Jordan in 1993.<\/p>\n
Donte DiVincenzo had 25 points, with 21 of them coming in the second half, while Josh Hart added 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks.<\/p>\n
“I’m not going, ‘I have to score 40’,” said 27-year-old Brunson. “That’s not my mindset at all. I want to be aggressive and make plays for myself and for others.”<\/p>\n
Myles Turner led Indiana with 23 points and Pascal Siakam added 19.<\/p>\n
The Pacers led for much of the game, with the Knicks only taking the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
DiVincenzo’s three-pointer put New York up 118-115 with 40.4 seconds remaining before Siakam’s lay-up brought Indiana back within one.<\/p>\n
The Pacers then had a chance to take the lead but Turner was called for a moving screen and Brunson sealed the win for the Knicks from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n