Jalen Brunson put on a show at Madison Square Garden on Monday. It just was not the kind some fans were hoping for.
Based on the box score, Brunson had a terrific outing in Game 2 of the New York Knicks’ first-round series against the Detroit Pistons. The two-time All-Star tallied 37 points on 12/27 shooting in a losing effort.
However, fans could not help but harp on Brunson’s repeated efforts to play for a whistle. Brunson tortured Pistons defensive specialist Ausar Thompson all game by embellishing any sort of contact and sometimes even being the one to initiate it.
Here’s one instance when Brunson seemingly hooked Thompson’s arm to draw a foul in the backcourt.
Have some shame Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/2xUKl4CG8q
— mm (@muhtacinm) April 22, 2025
Here’s another moment from early in the fourth quarter where Brunson went down after bumping into Thompson, drawing the Pistons youngster’s fifth foul. Even TNT announcer Grant Hill claimed the referees would not have called the foul had Brunson not gone to the floor.
Jalen Brunson's game in a nutshell… I feel for the Pistons rn pic.twitter.com/JgZ83kMiV9
— MookieCheeks (@MookieCheeks) April 22, 2025
It’s hard to blame Brunson when the referees indeed reward him for initiating contact the way he does. With under two minutes left, the Knicks star was able to draw a crucial foul on Tobias Harris to get himself three free throws with his team trailing by four.
I love Jalen Brunson. But even I hate these plays pic.twitter.com/3LBlxdjsQY
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 22, 2025
Brunson took 11 of his team’s 19 free throws in Game 2. Despite his best efforts, the Pistons survived late to steal a 100-94 win inside Madison Square Garden.
With the series shifting to Detroit, the Pistons employed a sneaky tactic to limit Knicks fans from invading Little Caesars Arena.
