Eastern Conference Recaps, April 21: Jalen Brunson Led New York Knicks Past Cleveland Cavaliers
Jalen Brunson stepped up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the New York Knicks’ opening home playoff game. Brunson had 21 points, leading all players in assists and field goals made. He and R.J. Barrett combined for 40 in the midst of a Julius Randle slump. Randle shot 3 of 15 from the field for just 11 points.
Darius Garland went 4 of 21 for 10 points, just days after scoring 32 points to even the series. Donovan Mitchell’s 22 points wasn’t enough to propel the Cavaliers without the help of his No. 2 scorer.
OTHER NOTES
It’s no secret that Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has struggled in his most recent postseason games.
He changed the narrative Friday night against the Boston Celtics with a 32-point performance, including 15 in the fourth quarter. Dejounte Murray complemented Young with 25 points while Saddiq Bey and Bogdan Bogdanovich added 15 each on a combined six 3-pointers.
Prior to Friday, Young was 1-7 in his last eight playoff games, averaging 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists with 5.8 turnovers. During that span, he shot 31.7 percent from the field and 17.5 percent from 3-point range, averaging more turnovers than made field goals. When asked about playing with a chip on his shoulder, Young simply brushed off those remarks.
“I know I can play like this,” Young said. “I wasn’t worried. I knew I could play the way I needed to. It’s all about reading and making the right adjustments. Last year was last year.”
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
