Jalen Brunson set a tone from start as he willed Knicks to Game 5 win

If the Knicks season was going to end, Jalen Brunson was going down swinging.He was aggressive early, looking for his shot.The Knicks, as a result, were able to play from ahead.Brunson found an offensive rhythm from the outset, and the Knicks never trailed in a season-saving, 111-94 Game 5 victory at the Garden.The win extends the Eastern Conference finals to a Game 6 on Saturday night in Indianapolis.“[I wanted to] set a tone, for sure,” Brunson said.

“It wasn’t through putting the ball in the basket.That happened, but just trying to make sure we were all on the same page and ready to go.

Our backs were against the wall.”Brunson finished with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists.He scored 14 points in the first quarter, then 16 in the third as the Knicks pulled away.

In his 32 minutes, the Knicks outscored the Pacers by 18 points.He wasn’t the defensive liability he had been in recent games.Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series.“That’s our guy, we know he’s always going to bring it offensively, but I felt he dug in defensively and had great intensity,” Josh Hart said.

“We know it’s tough for him because he has such a big role offensively, but the biggest thing, especially when you’re getting searched out, at the end of the day it’s about pride.He answered the call today.

He played well, he defended well, he defended without fouling, which is the most important part.”The narrative entering the series was this was the story of two of the league’s top young point guards in Brunson against Tyrese Haliburton.Haliburton was dominant in Game 4, finishing with 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds while Brunson managed just two points in the fourth quarter of that loss.

But he didn’t think of that battle ahead of Thursday night.“Our backs are against the wall, so I wasn’t thinking I neede...