Pacers in the mix for Jalen Brunson?
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
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In two playoff games without Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson (40 points last night) is averaging 32.5 ppg, 7.5 rebs, 5.0 assists and just 1.0 TO (two in 83 total minutes) and shooting 49/54/77. 👀 – 7:34 AM
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MVP of the Night: Jalen Brunson
#NBAsFinest pic.twitter.com/iJWDQxvd7r – 6:17 AM
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List, via @ESPNStatsInfo, of players to have 40-5-5 playoff games with 0 turnovers (since 1977-78):
Kobe Bryant
Jamal Murray (2)
Shaquille O’Neal
Chris Paul
Hakeem Olajuwon
Dominique Wilkins
Jalen Brunson – 1:40 AM
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Per @Dallas Mavericks PR:
Jalen Brunson became the 5th Maverick to post 40+ points in a playoff game (Nowitzki , Dončić , Blackman , Van Exel) and joined Dončić and Blackman as the only Mavericks to record 40-8-5 in a postseason game. – 12:59 AM
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Per @Dallas Mavericks PR:
Jalen Brunson became the 1st player in Mavs history w/40 points & 0 TO in a playoff game after he recorded a career-best (reg. or post.) He’s the 4th player to record 40+ pts & 0 TO in a postseason game since he entered the league (Durant, J. Murray , Paul). – 12:58 AM
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Jalen Brunson steps up without Luka Doncic, scores 41 to lead Mavericks over Jazz in Game 2 nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/19/jal… – 12:56 AM
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Jalen Brunson: “When Maxi’s hitting, he’s on fire. 8 for 11? Jesus. 25 ? Jesus! Yeah, that’s big time for him. I’m happy for him.” – 12:23 AM
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With 41 points tonight, Jalen Brunson set a career high for regular season or postseason. He joined Dirk (7 times), Luka (5 times), Ro Blackman (2 times) and Nick Van Exel (once) as Mavs with 40+ plus points in a playoff game. – 12:13 AM
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Mavericks vs. Jazz: Jalen Brunson pours in career-high 41 points to even series with Utah
https://t.co/lyviHVIih9 pic.twitter.com/vY7l0h3NoY – 11:45 PM
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Jason Kidd said at start of season his No. 1 goal for Jalen Brunson was to get him paid.
How much did he make tonight?
“A lot. He’s going to make a lot of money. I don’t know if he needs an agent, but I’m willing to put my name in the hat. … I hope he pays me for saying that.” – 11:17 PM
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Knicks can’t wait to get Jalen Brunson this summer. – 11:09 PM
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the mavs (and other nba teams) heading into free-agency meetings with jalen brunson pic.twitter.com/3x7czghRK1 – 11:05 PM
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Embarrassing loss for the Jazz. Mike Conley had a brutal night, Maxi Kleber couldn’t miss and Jalen Brunson outplayed everyone, scoring 41. Buys Luka time to take another game off if he needs it. Utah is suspect. The Jazz are nowhere close to being the team they were last season. – 11:01 PM
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Jalen Brunson getting the BIGGEST big this summer!!! – 10:58 PM
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Jalen Brunson has basically printed money this season – 10:58 PM
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Monster night for Jalen Brunson:
41 points (on 15-of-25 shooting)
8 rebounds
6 made three-pointers
5 assists (vs. zero turnovers)
1 win – 10:57 PM
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Jalen Brunson put the Mavs on his back.
41 PTS
8 REB
5 AST
15-25 FG
6-10 3P
Series tied 1-1. pic.twitter.com/ZmzwSGzXkj – 10:56 PM
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Mavs get Game 2 without Doncic, 110-104. In the end, the Jazz’s perimeter D let them down in a big way, especially in the 4Q.
Jalen Brunson: 21 points. Maxi Kleber 25 points.
Mitchell had 34, Bogdanovic 25.
Back to Utah with a 1-1 series tie, and Mavs have significant hope. – 10:56 PM
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Jalen Brunson hit the Jazz with the Terance Mann 2nd round pick blowup special tribute – 10:56 PM
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Mavs even the series with 110-104 win over the Jazz. Dallas picked apart Utah a lot like the Clippers did in the playoffs last year — 5-out, blow-by dribble penetration, force Rudy Gobert to help and kick it out for open 3s. Jalen Brunson (41 points) and Maxi Kleber (25) starred. – 10:56 PM
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Just a brutal loss for Utah. Rudy got hung out to dry repeatedly in the fourth quarter. Jazz guards couldn’t stop anyone. Rudy came over to help, Utah gives up a three. 41 for Jalen Brunson. – 10:56 PM
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List of Mavs players with a 40-point playoff game:
— Luka Doncic
— Dirk Nowitzki
— Nick Van Exel
— Rolando Blackman
And now, Jalen Brunson. pic.twitter.com/YMaeZ6mwka – 10:55 PM
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Jalen Brunson bout to get paid$$ – 10:54 PM
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Jalen Brunson gave the Jazz 40 – 10:53 PM
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Jazz coaches were telling the Jazz NOT to foul… Bogdanovic couldn’t hear them. Jalen Brunson is getting MVP chants. – 10:53 PM
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So like…Maxi Kleber is 8-10 from 3, and Jalen Brunson has 38 points. Obviously, not going to be the norm.
But having said that, the WAY Dallas is getting offense feels entirely sustainable and particularly easy. Utah’s perimeter defense is a total disaster. – 10:52 PM
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When Jalen Brunson was drafted 33rd, a lot of people thought it was a reach.
Brunson just impacts winning. – 10:49 PM
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If Leon Rose and William Wesley can’t close Jalen Brunson they may as well call it a day – 10:47 PM
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Jalen Brunson won’t be cheap – 10:44 PM
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“Knicks brass went to Utah to see Donovan Mitchell…”
Jalen Brunson: pic.twitter.com/CTSFanL3DO – 10:42 PM
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Jalen Brunson has 38 on 63 percent shooting. He’s OBLITERATING Utah – 10:41 PM
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The 38 points Jalen Brunson has with 5:39 remaining is the most he’s scored in a game since at least high school. Never had that many at Villanova or with Mavs. – 10:41 PM
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Jalen Brunson looking at the Utah defense tonight pic.twitter.com/PexSYEWs8u – 10:41 PM
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Jalen Brunson going to be very rich very soon. – 10:41 PM
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Jalen Brunson earning himself an extra $20M tonight. – 10:40 PM
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I’m naming my first son Jalen Brunson. – 10:39 PM
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Jalen Brunson after this performance preparing for his impending free agency pic.twitter.com/vTuYT31CkX – 10:38 PM
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Jalen Brunson has outperformed his $1.8M contract this season by $29.7M. @profitxai pic.twitter.com/vMZbmWxy0k – 10:38 PM
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If Conley is going to be on the floor but isn’t going to risk picking up his fifth foul then you have to put Danuel House Jr. in the game and onto Jalen Brunson.
Have to get stops now. – 10:35 PM
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Jazz are still heated about that offensive foul call on Bogey. NAW just came onto the court during the timeout to explain to Courtney Kirkland how Jalen Brunson gamed him. It’s 93-91 Jazz after that latest Brunson bucket. 7:22 to play. – 10:34 PM
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Jalen Brunson is going nuts. 36 and counting. Mavs down 2 with seven minutes left. Would be huge for them to win one of these at home without Doncic. – 10:34 PM
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Jalen Brunson is probably going to get 45 tonight. And Dallas has found something that works because Kleber is on fire. Utah up 93-91 but the mavericks have a GREAT chance to win this game. 7:22 remaining – 10:34 PM
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Jalen Brunson, No. 33 overall pick in the same draft that Luka Doncic went No. 3 overall, is up to 36 points for Dallas in this must-win Game 2.
Utah clings to a 93-91 lead with 7:22 to go.
More NBA from me: marcstein.Substack.com
And via @BallySportsSW … – 10:33 PM
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Jalen Brunson is a master of using ballfakes, pivots and step throughs to create space
Every young guard should study what he does with the 🏀 – 10:33 PM
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Mike Conley can’t stay in front of Jalen Brunson. A sentence I never fathomed typing before this series. – 10:33 PM
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Jalen Brunson (32 points) has surpassed his season-high scoring with 9 mins left in the game. – 10:30 PM
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Jalen Brunson came over especially heated about refs reviewing Dwight Powell’s foul.
Jason Kidd patted him on the chest and started to calm him down 1-on-1.
These two, always talking. pic.twitter.com/KBpdnTcsDf – 10:06 PM
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Jalen Brunson is really lighting the Jazz up – 10:05 PM
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Jalen Brunson might be making Luka Doncic jealous over on the bench. He’s up to 31 points midway through the third quarter. He’s hit 6-of-8 from 3-point range. – 10:04 PM
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Mavs are on a 8-0 run over the last 1:47 to cut the Jazz lead to 60-58.
Two buckets apiece from Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. – 9:59 PM
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Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell with dueling 21 point first halves. Mitchell had a bit more help. Mavericks giving themselves a chance, again, but the Jazz are playing better than they did in Game 1. And both teams irritated with the whistles. – 9:45 PM
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The Knicks came to Dallas one game too early. The two guys they wanted to see — Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell — have 21 points each at halftime.
Jazz up 55-48 at the half and worryingly so for the Luka-less hosts: 28-13 on the boards and 1-0 already in the series. – 9:42 PM
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Mavs trail Jazz 55-48 at half.
Jalen Brunson is up to 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting. Rest of the Mavs are a combined 10 of 30. – 9:40 PM
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Halftime: Jazz lead Mavs 55-48.
Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson duel to 21 points apiece.
Mavericks are 11 of 26 from deep and has outscored Utah by 15 from the 3-point line; the Jazz are still up 7. – 9:39 PM
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The Jazz lead Dallas 55-48 at halftime. 7-0 run to end the half for Utah. Mitchell was sensational. He has 21. Gobert has been great defensively. Jalen Brunson has 21. He has also been sensational – 9:38 PM
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Non-Jalen Brunson Mavs are 3-19 from the field. – 9:17 PM
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Somebody needs to pay Jalen Brunson a lot of money. He’s close to a top end NBA starting level point guard at this point – 9:09 PM
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The Jazz are still giving up wide open threes but Dallas has missed a few. Utah has started scoring tho. The Jazz trail 21-18 with 2:12 remaining in the quarter. If jalen Brunson scores 64 points, might be hard for Utah to pull this one out – 8:57 PM
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I admit I was dead wrong about Jalen Brunson..I thought he was going to be a rotation player- a good player–but he has proven to be a top tier guard in the NBA who has all the skills and intangibles you’re looking for in a leader and playmaker. Good on him. – 8:53 PM
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Jalen Brunson finally missed a shot after making his first five, three from distance. Mavs up 16-11. – 8:53 PM
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Dallas is playing like a team in an elimination game to start this game. Jalen Brunson is on fire, and the defense is as aggressive as I’ve seen. – 8:52 PM
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Observations from Mavs’ 14-6 lead in the first 5 mins:
— Jalen Brunson is *feeling it*
— Every Mavs reserve is standing and shouting and making the Jazz bench look like a library in comparison – 8:48 PM
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Jalen Brunson has 11…..Utah didn’t concede those kinds of looks in game 1….let’s see what the jazz do to adjust – 8:48 PM
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Mavericks didn’t have an off the bounce 3 in game 1, Jalen Brunson has 3 in the last 3 possessions.
Mavericks 14 Jazz 6 – 8:47 PM
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JALEN BRUNSON – 8:47 PM
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Jalen Brunson up to 11 points and is 3-for-3 from deep. Utah probably should stop going under the screens. – 8:47 PM
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Jalen Brunson on a sizzle in the early going with 11 points in under 5 minutes as Mavericks go up 14-6 to get AAC rockin. – 8:47 PM
More on this storyline
Tim MacMahon: There’s a strong Knicks contingent — including William Wesley and Allan Houston — in Dallas to scout Game 1 of the Jazz-Mavericks series. -via Twitter @espn_macmahon / April 17, 2022 Just look at it: Outside of Doncic, the Dallas roster is absent of stars. It just carries really good role players. Jalen Brunson is a tremendous secondary ballhandler who can create his own shot, is a terrific spot-up shooter and possesses great basketball instincts. He’s also a free agent this summer, and the Pistons have real interest in him, per sources. Brunson next to Cunningham would be one difficult backcourt to deal with offensively and would look nearly identical to how Doncic and Brunson play together. After that, the Mavs’ main players are the kind who can hit open shots and have the length defensively to switch across the board. Guys like Reggie Bullock aren’t hard to find. Dorian Finney-Smith is a good player but not a star. However, both are great in their roles and act as Doncic’s safety valves on the perimeter. They’re low-maintenance players who take advantage of the opportunities provided by playing alongside a star. -via The Athletic / April 7, 2022 Michael Scotto: I’ve heard some people in that front office that have an eye for Jalen Brunson. I’ve also heard there are people in the front office that could see Mitchell Robinson, who’s an unrestricted Knicks free agent, as a guy that they’d also look at. Deandre Ayton’s name has been floated out there too. My observation on this is guys like Brunson and Robinson are targets for Detroit because they’ll command less money (than Ayton). With Ayton, you’d have to give him a full max to try to get him there and out of Phoenix going into his (restricted) free agency. I think that would be tough. Whereas, with Brunson, Dallas knows there’s going to be a market for him. One of the reasons they got Spencer Dinwiddie was a hedge to cover themselves depending on what the market bears for Brunson. The Knicks have Robinson entering free agency and also have an eye for Brunson with the relationship with Leon Rose. They do need a point guard looking ahead. Immanuel Quickley is there, but it seems like he’s viewed as a microwave scorer off the bench, and Tom Thibodeau likes him off the bench in that role. -via HoopsHype / March 24, 2022