The Knicks needed a hero to keep their season alive. Jalen Brunson strapped on the cape.
Backed by strong efforts from his sidekicks RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, Brunson played all 48 minutes and scored 38 points in Wednesday’s 112-103 Game 5 victory.
His gutsy performance cut the series deficit to 3-2 for the Knicks, who now have to win two more — the first at Miami on Friday — to pull off the improbable comeback.
Brunson was the catalyst, scoring and making whatever plays the circumstances called for. He finished with nine rebounds and seven assists. Despite the zero rest, his production never tapered with ten points in the fourth quarter. Barrett added clutch free throws in the final period, continuing his strong postseason.
For Randle, it was a wild roller coaster. About an hour before tipoff, he was announced as an All-NBA Third Team selection — the second time Randle was picked as one of the NBA’s top-15 players in the last three years.
Then he was hit in the eye accidentally by Bam Adebayo within the opening seconds of Game 5. His first quarter was miserable with two turnovers and six misses on seven shots. He was benched for most of the second quarter, as the Knicks surged from a 10-point deficit to a two-point lead. Meanwhile, a small welt formed under Randle’s right eye from the Adebayo contact.
He returned and scored eight points in the final two minutes of the first half, including a stepback 3-pointer close to the buzzer. A strong third quarter pushed Randle to finish with 24 points in 36 minutes, and the victory masked that he again disappeared in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks were playing without Immanuel Quickley, the sparkplug reserve who sprained his ankle late in Game 3. With his absence, Brunson was burdened with more minutes and he handled them exquisitely. Quentin Grimes also played all 48 minutes and helped limit Jimmy Butler, who looked mortal and slow Wednesday while scoring 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 43 minutes.
The Heat, meanwhile, endured its worst game in the series. Its 3-point shot went sideways through the first three quarters, before a too-little, too-late comeback. Kevin Love, the 34-year-old power forward, missed all seven of his treys.
Midway through the fourth quarter and New York’s lead dwindling, Miami resorted to fouling Knicks center Mitchell Robinson on purpose. It happened on two straight New York possessions, and Robinson, an atrocious foul shooter in the postseason, connected on 3-of-4 as the Madison Square Garden crowd exploded.
There were two pivotal moments for the Knicks. After trailing by 10 in the first quarter, they opened up the second with a 18-2 run. Then the 23-4 run immediately after halftime gave them the lead for good, with the advantage reaching 19 in the third quarter.
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