Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks had the chance to put away the rival Boston Celtics and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, but fell short in a physical contest that ended with Brunson on the bench.
The Celtics cruised in Wednesday's Game 5, beating the Knicks 127-102 to send the series back to Madison Square Garden. Though the Celtics lost star Jayson Tatum after his season-ending Achilles tendon injury in Game 4, they were able to beat the Knicks thanks to strong team defense and 34 points from Derrick White.
Brunson scored 22 points but fouled out with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter. The Knicks star had five fouls in the third quarter, telling reporters after the game he had no explanation for the struggles.
"Five fouls in one quarter? I don't know what you want me to say to that," Brunson said.
When asked by a reporter about how crazy the quarter felt, Brunson could only apologize.
"I'm not even gonna say anything. I'm sorry," Brunson said.
Knicks guard Mikal Bridges added that the team needed a greater sense of urgency, especially with the team's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years on the line.
“We’ve got to play desperate. I don’t think we did that,” Bridges said.
The Knicks will now get another chance to put the Celtics away when the teams meet in Game 6 on Friday.