Jalen Brunson has become the fourth player to score 40 or more points in four consecutive postseason games, the first since Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals. Brunson reached 40 with a big fourth quarter Monday night and finished with 43 to rally the Knicks to a 121-117 victory in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter before Brunson scored 21 in the final period.
Lionel Messi set the single-game MLS assists record on Saturday night, sparking speculation over what other league records he could topple in the 2024 regular season.
Jalen Duren had 27 points and 21 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons won consecutive games for the first time since October, overcoming Jerami Grant’s career-high 49 points to beat Portland 128-122 in overtime Thursday night. Jaden Ivey added 26 points and Cade Cunningham had 23 to help the NBA-worst Pistons improve to 8-43. “A game like this, after everything we’ve been through, losing so many guys, on a back-to-back, to go into overtime and win, that’s pretty cool for a group that’s learning the steps that it takes to win games,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said.