NBA
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson: ‘When You Lose, It’s The Worst Thing Ever’
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All posts by James FoglioUpdated10 hours ago on May 22, 2025
New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson scored 43 points against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night, but it was not enough to give New York the W.
Knicks Blew A 14-Point Lead Late In The Fourth Quarter
Indiana mounted an incredible 14-point comeback with just under three minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. Aaron Nesmith’s six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter matched an NBA record in a playoff quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton also hit the game-tying shot near the top of the arc, which involved the ball bouncing high in the air after clanking off the back of the rim before going in.
Haliburton and Nesmith became just the third Pacers duo to score 30 each in a playoff game.
“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever. When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever. The best way to deal with all that is to stay level-headed and making sure we have each other’s backs.”
– Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/nGB8KjPMtE
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 22, 2025
“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever,” said Brunson, who shot just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and had seven turnovers.
“When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever. Give them a lot of credit. They closed the game out like they’ve been doing all playoffs. Just not really good on our part.”
New York Made Horrible NBA History
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 35 points and 12 rebounds, while Josh Hart put up eight points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
“There’s a lot of things we did good, and we put ourselves in position to win,” said Towns. “We played 46 good minutes. Those 2 minutes [are] where we lost the game, and that’s on all of us.”
The Knicks had one last possession to tie the score in overtime, but Brunson and Towns each missed 3s in the final 10 seconds, sealing Indiana’s comeback.
Entering Game 1, teams that trailed by nine or more points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime in the playoffs were 0-1,414 since 1998, per Elias Sports Bureau. The all-time record is now 1-1,414.
According to Basketball Reference, teams leading by at least 14 points in the final 2:45 of the fourth quarter had been 994-0 since detailed play-by-play was first tracked in 1997-98.
The Knicks face Indiana in Game 2 on Friday.
