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Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns Matched Wild Shaq and Kobe Scoring Feat

Some truly impressive stuff from the Knicks' duo.

Mike Kadlick

Brunson and Towns are keeping the Knicks alive with their offense.
Brunson and Towns are keeping the Knicks alive with their offense. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Everything was coming up Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, as New York kept their title hopes alive with a 111–94 win over the Pacers. The series now heads back to Indianapolis for Game 6 with Indiana holding onto a 3–2 lead.

It was once again the dynamic scoring duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns who led the way for the Knicks—and as they did so, they accomplished a rare feat. With Brunson's 32 points and Towns's 24, they became the first set of teammates to score 20-plus points in each of the first five games of a conference finals since 2002.

The last pair to do so? Los Angeles Lakers legends Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, on their way to an NBA Finals win.

Decent company.

With their backs still against the wall, the Knicks must win two straight in order to return to their first NBA Finals since 1999. Game 6 from Gainbridge Fieldhouse tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on TNT.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.

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