East Notes: Knicks, Jalen Brunson, Pacers, Sixers, Tyrese Maxey

Knicks

Guard Jalen Brunson was named an All-Star reserve on Thursday, then responded with a 40-point eruption in a home win over the Pacers.

“It was really cool, the whole experience, the night, how we won, obviously what happened before the game,” Brunson told reporters. “You always work for certain moments, but you never know how to react once they happen, so it was special.”

Brunson was poked in the left eye late in the game and the eye became swollen. But he shook it off to hit the go-ahead basket with 1:46 to go in the game, leading New York to its ninth straight win.

“You just love his competitiveness and he never goes away,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Pacers

The Pacers were crushed on the boards by a 60-44 count in Thursday’s loss to the Knicks — and that’s a major difference in a 109-105 game.

“We got bullied on the glass and it’s disappointing because we’re a very capable rebounding team and this is the main thing that we talked about with this game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “So we failed on the boards, for sure, and it’s obviously the difference in the game.”

• Indiana has lost two straight after a three-game winning streak. Guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin has missed both with a sprained toe.

76ers

Guard Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 51 points hours after being named to his first All-Star Game, showing that he belonged in the Sixers’ road win over the Jazz.

It came without injured starting center Joel Embiid, whose status remains in doubt after the latest injury to his left knee.

“It’s been a wonderful day. I keep saying I’m just happy we got to win,” Maxey said. “It wouldn’t have mattered if we lost as we would have been sitting there sad on this long flight to Philly.

“We needed this emotionally after Big Fella went down and the four games we lost on this trip.”

• Maxey finished 17-of-27 from the field, 7-of-9 on 3-pointers and went 10-of-11 on free throws. “I just wanted to be aggressive. I was like, ‘Man, if I’m going to be out here, I got to go all out for my teammates,'” he said.
• Embiid reportedly is out through at least the weekend. We have the latest on the reigning NBA MVP right here.