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Jalen Brunson shot and fought to keep the New York Knicks title hopes alive, and while sis shooting and scoring helped the Knicks push the Indiana Pacers to six games in their Eastern Conference Finals battle, it wasn't enough to prevent them from getting eliminated from the 2025 NBA Playoffs in Game 6 on Saturday night.
Brunson was blunt after the 125-108 loss. He dropped an eight-word admission on how he's taking this loss.
“It sucks man. Simple as that. It sucks,” Brunson said.
"It sucks man. Simple as that. It sucks."
Jalen Brunson on losing to the Pacers in Game 6 👀
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/Wkxlr17bpW
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 1, 2025
Brunson didn't have much to say, yet he showed how discontent and disappointed he is about the final result, especially after delivering one resilient shooting night after another.
How Jalen Brunson fared in the Knicks series vs. the Pacers
As has been the case for much of this season, Brunson emerged as the one player the Knicks wanted to get the ball to on offense when they needed a bucket. He walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 6 having averaged 33 points per game over the first five contests in this series.
Indiana, however, sent a gold and blue tidal wave at him on Saturday night. Defenders washed away scoring opportunities for Brunson. He went on to shoot only 44.4% from the field, which included an ugly 28.6% from behind the three-point arc. The Pacers contained him to only 19 points — the lowest scoring output from Brunson in this series.
Brunson received harsh criticism online. He even got trolled by Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark — who sat courtside for this game.
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Caitlin Clark’s reaction to Tyrese Haliburton knocking down a 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qM5h76sqcf
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 1, 2025
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson even joined in on calling out Brunson. The five-time NBA champion labeled Brunson one of the players most to blame for their season-ending defeat.
“The New York Knicks lost Game 6 because their two superstars Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns didn’t play well. They also didn’t control the pace of game,” he posted on X.
The Knicks and Brunson now must recharge and refocus during the offseason. But has Brunson lost confidence in the direction the Knicks are going? The sharpshooter believes New York has enough to fuel another run.
“The most confidence. Overconfident. Seriously. Not an ounce of doubt,” Brunson said.
He then fired off one last message after watching the Pacers end their season for the second straight year.
“We're going to go into the summer, we're going to work, and we're going to get better. We're going to figure out a way how we can change this outcome,” Brunson said.
He ends the season averaging 26 points per game while improving his shooting to 48.8%. He also averaged a career-best 7.3 assists per game.
