Jalen Brunson and the Knicks managed to walk away from Indiana with a victory against the Pacers with a 114-113 scoreline tonight. They were extremely short-handed tonight, playing without Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson, i.e, two of their five regular starters and a key rotation player.
Following the game, Jalen Brunson spoke to the media and honestly reflected on his performance and gave credit to his young teammate for stepping up on his off-night.
“Man, I was garbage to start the game, and then my stint in the second half was garbage as well. I want to thank the lord for Tyler Kolek for playing the way he’s playing and saving me,” said Brunson hilariously after the game.
While Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 25 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and three steals, he was not impressed with his performance. It seems his main concern was his efficiency as he shot 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the field and 3-of-8 from the three-point line (37.5%).
THE CAPTAIN IN THE CLUTCH.
JALEN BRUNSON GAME-WINNING THREE WITH 4.4 REMAINING 🔥
6 straight wins for the @emirates NBA Cup champs! https://t.co/ydEQOnjOVl pic.twitter.com/tOarrugtbd
— NBA (@NBA) December 19, 2025
Despite hitting the game-winning three-point shot with 4.4 seconds left on the clock, Brunson remained humble and gave credit to his young teammate from Rhode Island: Tyler Kolek.
The 24-year-old Knicks guard played 26 minutes tonight, where he stuffed the box score with 16 points, had 11 assists, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 7-of-10 from the field (70%).
Brunson is so humble, he never hogs the spotlight. But he always focuses on how to improve and be better. Despite an off-night in terms of efficiency, Brunson did not lose the confidence to take the most important shot of the game.
With the Knicks down two, Mike Brown called the timeout and drew up a play for someone else. But after the game, Brown revealed that Brunson told him before going back in that he was getting this win for the team.
“Our MVP, the league’s MVP, Jalen Brunson. We called a timeout, we took another timeout, and drew up a different play. And as Jalen’s walking out on the floor, he turns to me and says, ‘I’m getting this win, I’m going for it,'” said Brown during the postgame press conference.
“I said, ‘You do you’ and he went out, and he came through. That’s what MVPs do, and I’m glad I’m a part of his team,” concluded Brown.
And despite having a story to tell like this, Brunson still gave credit to his teammate instead of blowing his own trumpet. This speaks a lot to how he is as the leader of the Knicks.
The 29-year-old star of New York won the NBA Cup MVP award almost unanimously after their championship game win. The Knicks improved their record to 19-7 with this win against the Pacers and extended their win streak to six games.
They are now set to face the 76ers tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.
