Tyrese Haliburton vs Jalen Brunson NBA Playoffs Stats, Records and More Explored
Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton will headline the mouthwatering matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. Brunson’s Knicks, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, survived a physical and bruising series against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The point guard’s eye-opening performances, particularly in the closeout Game 6 on the road pushed them past the first round.
Haliburton did the same for the Pacers against the injury-struck Milwaukee Bucks but in a somewhat understated way. Unlike Brunson, he didn’t pile up the points but was unquestionably the driver of Indiana’s high-octane offense.
The two former USA Basketball teammates in last year’s FIBA World Cup will go head-to-head in the second round of the playoffs.
Comparing Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson’s playoff stats
Tyrese Haliburton is making his debut in the NBA Playoffs this year. He couldn’t do it in nearly two years with the Sacramento Kings and failed to do the same with Indiana until 2024.
Haliburton had a signature playoff moment in round one versus Milwaukee and could have more before the postseason ends.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson is the more accomplished playoff performer, having played 42 games past the regular season. His first two years (2021 and 2022) in the playoffs were with the Dallas Mavericks before leading the New York Knicks to back-to-back postseason appearances.
The Knicks’ left-handed guard had a solid case as the best player throughout the first round of the NBA playoffs. In his last three games of that series, he averaged a staggering 42.6 points, including a franchise playoff record of 47 in Game 5.
More than the numbers, it was when he made those buckets that had the Wells Fargo Center crowd in Philadelphia serenading him with MVP chants.
Here are Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson’s numbers in this year’s playoffs:
Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson’s record in the playoffs
As a playoff debutant, Tyrese Haliburton has a modest 4-2 record in the playoffs. He tallied that win-loss mark for the Indiana Pacers in the first-round encounter against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson is 22-20 in postseason games in his career. Last year, they disposed of the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 before falling to the Miami Heat’s giant-slaying ways 4-2. 2024 is still unfolding for the Knicks’ franchise cornerstone.
Haliburton and Brunson will lead their respective teams in different ways in the playoffs
Although they both play point guard, Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson are significantly different in how they operate.
Haaliburton is a pass-first orchestrator, while Brunson is one of the NBA’s most demoralizing forces on offense. Haliburton’s scoring may be down, but one can almost be sure that his assists and rebounds are up.
Brunson isn’t just all about putting buckets as well. He has an underrated all-around game that opponents are still figuring out how to contain. In Games 1 and 2 versus Philadelphia, the All-Star guard gladly moved the ball around when the Sixers aggressively sent double or triple teams. New York went 2-0 against that strategy.
Basketball fans can’t wait to see how these two will go head-to-head starting on Monday at Madison Square Garden.