WATCH: Knicks-Celtics 1st half has Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown trading tough shots
The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics have had some memorable clashes in NBA history and Jalen Brunson, along with Jaylen Brown, recently saw to it that the tradition lives on. Both teams are on their second matchup for the season and they are indeed putting on a show on a Monday night.
With 10.9 seconds left in the first half, the New York Knicks found themselves up by two points, 51-49. Hoping to add to the lead was Jalen Brunson, who went by Payton Pritchard and drew Derrick White to double team. He pulled up on top of the key between the free throw and three-point line and had both defenders going up. Brunson sunk the basket, all-net, with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Jayson Tatum then brought the ball to half-court as the Celtics looked for one more basket to end the first half. He was guarded by Josh Hard as Julius Randle came to help, leaving Jaylen Brown, who got the ball on top with two seconds left.
Brown took the three-pointer with Quentin Grimes jumping on him. As Brown's feed got the balance and position, he made the jumper beating the first-half buzzer. The Knicks trailed by only one point entering the third quarter.
Jaylen Brown and Jalen Brunson by the numbers in the 2023-24 season
This is Jalen Brunson's sixth season in the NBA and he took his game to a higher level once he signed with the New York Knicks last season. The two-time NCAA champion is reunited with his teammates from the Villanova Wildcats — Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ryan Arcidiacono once again.
In his first year with the Knicks, he was able to put up 24.0 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds. In the first nine games of the 2023-24 season, Brunson is doing 22.2 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
During the off-season, Brunson had the chance to represent Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, where they finished fourth in the tournament.
On the other side, Jaylen Brown has been playing for the Boston Celtics since his NBA debut in 2016. He has already logged 479 games and his career averages are 18.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals.
In seven seasons and just entering his eighth, Jaylen Brown has been a two-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA Second Team in 2023. In nine games into the 2023-24 NBA season, he is averaging 23.0 points. 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals.