Jalen Brunson, Barrett 'Bounce Back' Energize Knicks Fans in Win vs. Mitchell, Cavs
RJ BarrettNathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The whispers of RJ Barrett’s demise were a bit premature.
After struggling mightily in the first two games of the New York Knicks’ playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the fourth-year swingman showed up in a big way as he helped the lead the charge in a pivotal 99-79 Game 3 win for New York.
Barrett finished with 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in front of a rocking crowd at Madison Square Garden that was loving every second of his performance.
It was a Knicks fanbase that was bashing him after he went a combined 6-of-25 from the field over the first two games of the series. But he showed up when the team needed him most on a night in which offense was hard to come by.
Barrett came out aggressive from the jump as he scored 14 of his points in the first half, and the Knicks took a 13-point lead into the locker room.
He cooled down a bit in the second half but was still all over the floor, finding an open teammate or grabbing a key rebound as New York pulled away to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference series.
While they were sure to rip Barrett when he wasn’t performing, Knicks fans gave him his flowers on Twitter following the huge win.
NBA @NBA
RJ Barrett for three and MSG is rockin’!
CLE/NYK Game 3 underway on ABC 🍿 pic.twitter.com/tyvU1hZajw
ESPN @espn
RJ BARRETT HAS MSG ROCKIN’ 🔊🎉 pic.twitter.com/FwnBpkl0hq
Ashley Nicole Moss @AshNicoleMoss
RJ Barrett after hearing the slander: pic.twitter.com/Z2F76yP06g
The Knicks Wall @TheKnicksWall
Game 3 RJ Barrett??? pic.twitter.com/OoWPpKK21n
KnicksMuse @KnicksMuse
RJ BARRETT WE NEED YOU pic.twitter.com/lywXqDih8M
FM BlueBlood: go knicks @TempoStyx
RJ Barrett is wide awake y’all
Jake Brown @JakeBrownNBA
Are we witnessing THE RJ Barrett playoff game? pic.twitter.com/UID9I4wdWP
Knicks Memes @KnicksMemes
RJ Barrett every time the Knicks fanbase gives up on him pic.twitter.com/7i6Zpt2qzK
The Knicks Wall @TheKnicksWall
PUT SOME RESPECT ON RJ BARRETT’S NAME!!
Jay Knicky TKW @JayKnicky
RJ Barrett is back you peasants!
BetMGM 🦁 @BetMGM
RJ Barrett to Donovan Mitchell tonight pic.twitter.com/ZiEw1MhSnI
Jonathan Macri @JCMacriNBA
Needless to say, RJ Barrett has been the best player on the court in the early going. Won’t be enough crows in the world for me if this keep up.
KFTV Bankai 🗡️ @New_Tape_City
RJ Barrett tonight when the Knicks needed him the most. pic.twitter.com/abuUyOfu8t
BetMGM 🦁 @BetMGM
They’re chanting RJ Barrett’s name at the Garden 👏 pic.twitter.com/HcfmzqQFsz
In addition to Barrett, Jalen Brunson’s performance was also a welcome sight after the star guard went 5-of-17 from the field in the Game 2 loss in Cleveland.
Brunson finished with a team-high 21 points on 10-of-18 shooting Friday and did a lot of his damage down the stretch as New York put the game out of reach.
He’s done a great job of combating Cleveland’s elite backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland over the first few games of the series and will continue to be crucial if the Knicks are going to advance.
Brandon Aronowitz @BrandAronowitz
Jalen Brunson is back in God mode!! That man is a special special basketball player
Alex Picks @ARPicks_
Jalen Brunson is different.
TooIz @IzyTooWavy
JALEN BRUNSON IS MY GOAT 🐐
Super Bowl 52 MVP @vj_v_
Brunson has been playing some amazing basketball this series
Tom Krasniqi @TKras
How did the Dallas Mavericks let Jalen Brunson walk out the door?
Horrendous mistake.
What a blessing for the #Knicks.
. @disgame23
Jalen Brunson is the greatest player I’ve ever seen
Connor Wright @Connor_wright33
Jalen Brunson is absolutely crazy at basketball. He is cooking the whole cavs team.
DANIEL | Growth Minded Leader🇳🇬🇬🇧 @danielawosanya
Brunson is HIM.
The night was so good for the Knicks that Derrick Rose saw a few minutes of action, which had the crowd at MSG going wild late in the fourth quarter.
With the win, New York is just two victories away from its first appearance in the second round of the playoffs in a decade. The last time it made it that far was in 2013, when it was led by Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith.
The Knicks will have a chance to put a chokehold on the series in Game 4 on Sunday. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET.
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