Knicks' Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns accomplish feat not seen since Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal

New York stayed alive in the Eastern Conference finals thanks to its two biggest stars

With their backs against the wall in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks needed big outings from their biggest stars to keep their season alive. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns delivered ... and then some. Brunson scored 32 points while adding five rebounds and five assists, responding after a quiet second half of Game 4. Towns, meanwhile, posted 24 points and 13 rebounds after being a game-time decision due to a balky left knee.

Behind those two efforts and a much-improved defense, New York cruised to a 111-94 win over Indiana.

In the process, Brunson and Towns joined some exclusive company: They're the first pair of teammates to both score 20+ points in each of the first five games of a conference finals since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did so for the Lakers against the Kings in 2002.

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Carter Bahns

Here's a look at Brunson and Towns' production in the series:

	Jalen Brunson points	Karl-Anthony Towns points	Result
Game 1	43	35	Lost by 3
Game 2	36	20	Lost by 5
Game 3	23	24	Won by 6
Game 4	31	24	Lost by 9
Game 5	32	24	Won by 17

Brunson also made some individual history with his 10th game of 30 points and five assists this postseason alone. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James and Michael Jordan have done that during a single playoff run.

The 2002 Lakers, much like the 2025 Knicks, faced a 3-2 deficit through five games despite the scoring exploits of their stars. New York will hope it can imitate Los Angeles one more time: The Lakers went on to win in seven and then swept the Nets in the NBA Finals.