The foul-trouble woes continue for Jalen Brunson, but he was able to shake them off and help lead the Knicks to 106-100 win in Game 3 against the Pacers.
The star guard had a first half to forget on Sunday, scoring just 11 points with a -15 rating while picking up four fouls, and he was hit with his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Brunson returned to the game with 1:37 left and made a tough floater to give the Knicks the lead, coming up clutch after sitting for almost six minutes. New York was able to ice the game at the free throw line, two of which were made by Brunson.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The Knicks had a number of players in foul trouble heading into the second half of Game 3, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride, who picked up three fouls each in the first half. Both stepped up when Brunson was on the bench, and Towns scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to help save the Knicks’ season.
Here’s a look at Jalen Brunson’s Game 3.
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket
Jalen Brunson fouls
Brunson picked up his fourth foul with 1:36 to go in the second quarter and was subbed out for Landry Shamet. He was hit with his fifth foul on a 50/50 blocking call roughly halfway through the fourth quarter. This is the second time in three games that Brunson has gotten into foul trouble in the second half, as he was limited defensively with five fouls in the Knicks 138-135 loss in Game 1.
As is always the case with fouls — especially ones involving Brunson — not all came without controversy on Sunday.Â
Refs called this a foul on Brunson
C’mon pic.twitter.com/y1kEhQuJlk
— Alex B. (@KnicksCentral) May 22, 2025
Jalen Brunson picked up his 4th foul just two minutes before halftime 👀
Good call or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/K7zfKUiY9b
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 26, 2025
Brunson gets called for a blocking foul. Knicks have challenged the call pic.twitter.com/cDPuD5deyE
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) May 26, 2025
Brunson was able to respond, however, once he was back in the game. With the score tied at 98 and 1:20 remaining, the guard made this tough shot to give New York the lead.
CAPTAIN CLUTCH COMING THROUGH FOR THE KNICKS!
📺 ECF Game 3 on TNT pic.twitter.com/oQVq2EZUDb
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2025
Jalen Brunson stats Game 3 vs. Pacers
After scoring 36 points in Game 2, Brunson has had a tough start to Game 3. He had just 11 points in the first half, and his defensive woes caused him to have a -15 rating. But Brunson was able to rebound in the second half and made big shots down stretch to help the Knicks get a 106-100 win.
Here’s a look at Brunson’s stat line from Sunday night
| FG | 3PT | FT | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | Pts |
| 6-18 | 1-5 | 10-10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
