Jalen Brunson missed chance to cap his epic fourth quarter with game-winner despite perfect play

BOSTON — The play call was perfect. The pass from Karl-Anthony Towns was precise. The shot was one Jalen Brunson has made thousands of times.

Surely, the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year would complete the Knicks’ thrilling comeback — and his own epic fourth quarter — with a game-winner, right?

Wrong.

His floating bank shot was too strong, rolled around the rim, and, after the Celtics missed a long buzzer-beater attempt, it meant the Knicks had to go to overtime.

“Not clutch enough,” Brunson said.

This time around, though, his teammates were.

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges were clutch in the Knicks’ 108-105 Game 1 overtime win over the Celtics on Monday night at TD Garden.

They wouldn’t have had the chance to be without Brunson’s fourth-quarter heroics, though.

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks puts up a shot as Al Horford #of the Boston Celtics defends in the fourth quarter for Game 1.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

He finished with 29 points — 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. And those 11 points were also 11 straight Knicks points at one point during the comeback.

Brunson joined an exclusive club as well.

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He is one of just three players in NBA history to score 75 or more fourth-quarter points across his first seven games of a postseason run.

The others are Kobe Bryant in 2008 and Stephen Curry in 2023.

Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks reacts after he misses a shot during the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

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“The obvious [thing] is his shotmaking ability, but it’s also his teammates working with him to create advantages,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson. “So understanding what the coverage is, what you’re trying to get away from and then to try to create those advantages, it’s everyone working together. And also trusting the pass when the second and third defender come and how we can play off of that. So if there are two, three guys on him, just spray it out and we get a good look. And oftentimes, if we don’t make that, we get an offensive rebound.”

After his huge fourth quarter, Brunson did not score in overtime, missing all four shots he took.

His supporting cast was there to bail him out for a change.

“It’s not about putting the team on my back,” Brunson said. “I have confidence in them. They have confidence in me. We’re going to compete, find the best way to attack each possession. So yeah, it may look like I get the credit, but it’s a credit to them. It’s not just me.”