NEW YORK — New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein was in the locker room when he heard the roar. Jalen Brunson, who had left late in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers due to a right foot injury, had returned to Madison Square Garden for halftime. He wanted to see if he could push through the pain and get back in the game.
The moment he stepped back on the court, the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer that resonated all the way back to the Knicks’ locker room. The noise was so intense that Brunson had to ask the fans to quiet down so he could focus on testing his foot.
The MVP chants that followed suggested that Brunson was back and ready to lead the way. His return galvanized the short-handed Knicks, allowing them to rally for a 130-121 win over the Pacers, taking a 2-0 lead in their conference semifinals series.
“He’s a great leader, and when a guy does whatever he can to help the team, everyone respects that,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Actions speak louder than words. It shows you care about the team and your teammates.”
The win came at a cost, though, as the series shifts to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4. The Knicks’ star defender OG Anunoby, who had scored a playoff career-high 28 points in 28 minutes, limped to the locker room in the third quarter and did not return after injuring his left hamstring. Thibodeau said he hadn’t yet spoken with the medical staff to determine the seriousness of Anunoby’s injury.
Brunson’s absence in the first half allowed Indiana to capitalize, with the Pacers going on a 56-39 run, thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s bounce-back performance and T.J. McConnell’s solid playmaking. The Pacers led 73-63 at halftime.
But just like 54 years ago when Willis Reed hobbled out of the tunnel before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Brunson’s return had a profound impact. “It was really cool, but I just needed to clear my mind to figure out how I was going to play in the second half,” Brunson said.
Brunson’s return changed the game’s momentum. In the first five and a half minutes of the second half, the Knicks engineered a 15-point swing, taking a five-point lead.
Like Game 1, this one had its share of drama. With the Knicks up 124-118, the Pacers pressured Hartenstein in the backcourt with just over a minute to play. An official initially called him for a double dribble, which would have given possession to the Pacers, but the referees huddled and ruled it an inadvertent whistle, giving the ball back to the Knicks. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was ejected after receiving two technical fouls in the aftermath of the call.
Indiana still had chances, with Haliburton (34 points, nine assists) performing at his best and Brunson (29 points) looking a bit slower after a historic four-game run. However, with Anunoby leaving the game in the third quarter due to a left hamstring injury, Indiana’s chances diminished. Anunoby appeared to plant his leg awkwardly during a transition layup, prompting Brunson to commit a foul to stop play for a substitution.
The Knicks have battled injuries all season. Backup center Mitchell Robinson had been ruled out six to eight weeks with an ankle injury, likely ending his postseason. Two-time All-NBA forward Julius Randle was also out for the season after dislocating his shoulder in January.
To cope with these injuries, Thibodeau had to play his starters for extended minutes. Josh Hart (19 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists) played all 48 minutes, becoming the first player since Thibodeau-coached Jimmy Butler in 2013 to do so.
Anunoby, who had averaged 46 minutes over the past four games, faced the heaviest workload of his career. His hamstring injury only added to the Knicks’ growing list of injuries as they continue their playoff journey.
