The Knicks defeat the Pacers 121-117 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Jalen Brunson doesn’t enter a game intending to routinely score forty points, a feat not accomplished by any player since Michael Jordan in the postseason.

A late defensive stop is just as important to him as any of his shots since he just cares about winning games. In the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday night, the Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers 121-117 behind a 43-point performance from Brunson, who became the fourth player in NBA history to record four straight 40-point games in the postseason.

After trailing by nine points early in the fourth quarter, Brunson scored 21 points to tie Hall of Famers Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bernard King, and Jerry West, who had six straight 40-point games in the postseason. It was Jordan’s 1993 NBA Finals performance.

With forty seconds left, Donte DiVincenzo made the game-winning 3-pointer to give the Knicks a 25-point start in the second round. The team’s first round triumph over Philadelphia was replete with close finishes.

The Pacers subsequently closed the gap to one, but DiVincenzo’s foul on Myles Turner was ruled as an offensive foul.

Josh Hart finished with a career-high 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in the playoffs.

Game 2 will be hosted by the second-seeded Knicks on Wednesday.

With a strong bench and a lead against the Knicks, the sixth-seeded Pacers were well-positioned to repeat their first-round upset of Milwaukee. Turner led the Pacers with 23 points.

After New York defeated Philadelphia by a single point over the course of six games in the first round, Brunson led his team to another close conclusion.

Tyrese Haliburton, the NBA’s leading assist man, who finished with six points and eight assists despite being labelled as questionable due to back spasms, was greatly outplayed by fellow All-Star point guard Brunson.

With 19 points from Pascal Siakam and 18 from McConnell, Indiana’s bench outscored its New York opponents 46-3 in the end.

The Knicks will ride Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo as far as they can go without giving any thought to the bench.

DiVincenzo played 44 minutes, Brunson 43 1/2, while Hart played the full 48. With roughly 10 1/2 minutes left, McConnell’s basket put the score at 94-85, ending Brunson’s alleged rest early. After he came back, the Knicks went on an 8-0 run to tie the game, then with 4:27 remaining, he scored seven baskets in a 9-0 run to give New York a 113-109 lead after Indiana had pulled ahead 109-104.

Just as he did in a comeback to defeat the 76ers in the previous round, DiVincenzo hit from behind the arc to take the lead, and the Pacers moved ahead 115-113 before Brunson tied it.

The Pacers should have an advantage in this series because of Indiana’s bench, which helped them open the second quarter strongly. A 9-0 run shortly before the half gave the Pacers a 55-46 lead. The game was just six points at the half thanks to Isaiah Hartenstein’s halfcourt heave that was made at the buzzer.

With less than five minutes remaining in the third, the Knicks had a five-point lead. However, the Pacers’ bench provided a significant lift once more, as McConnell scored three baskets and former Knicks forward Obi Toppin scored two dunks, one of which looked like it belonged in a slam dunk competition. Turner’s 3-pointer with seconds remaining gave Indiana an 87-82 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

With 13 points each, Hartenstein and OG Anunoby were the winners.