The NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year has outscored the Celtics by himself late in games
NBA history is riddled with big-time regular-season performers who, for one reason or another, simply can’t seem to get it done when it matters most in the playoffs. It’s safe to say that Jalen Brunson is not one of those players.
You may have noticed the New York Knicks‘ point guard making clutch basket after clutch basket this postseason — including a devious game-winner to send the Detroit Pistons packing in the first round — and the numbers certainly back up the eye test. With nine fourth-quarter points in the Knicks’ 91-90 Game 2 comeback victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Brunson is now the first player in the NBA’s play-by-play era (since 1997) to score at least 83 fourth-quarter points through the first eight games of two different playoff runs (2024 and 2025).
Only two others have accomplished the feat once — Stephen Curry in 2023 and Kobe Bryant in 2008.
Bruson has been especially devastating in New York’s two stunning comeback victories over Boston to open their second-round series, outscoring the entire Celtics team, 17-13, in the final five fourth-quarter minutes of both games. He scored all six Knicks points in the final two minutes of Game 2, including the go-ahead free throws with 13 seconds left.
“It’s a focus that I need to have at that moment,” Brunson said after Wednesday’s win. “Can’t really worry about what happened previously in the game. It’s all about just focusing, having a clear mind, just trying to win the game. That’s just my mindset, and I wouldn’t be that way without my teammates.”
The All-NBA guard is the main reason why the Knicks have been dominant in clutch situations this postseason (games within five points with five minutes remaining), boasting a plus-21 net rating while winning five of their seven qualifying games. Brunson is also the league’s leading clutch scorer this postseason (minimum three games), and the Knicks are a league-best plus-31 in his crunch-time minutes.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for those who have watched Brunson throughout the season. There’s a reason he was named the 2024-25 Clutch Player of the Year after leading the league in clutch scoring.
The Knicks surely hope that every win this postseason isn’t as heart-pounding as the first two against the Celtics, but they have to feel as comfortable with their elite closer as any team in recent NBA history.
“That’s Jalen,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson’s clutch play in the Game 2 win. “Doesn’t matter what’s going on in the game, he’s gonna be at his best when his best is needed.”
