Red-hot Big Ragu: I can do more
INDIANAPOLIS — Knowing that Jalen Brunson was at less than full strength, Donte DiVincenzo went off for the most points he’s ever scored in an NBA playoff game Friday night.
Still, DiVincenzo wasn’t reveling in his career postseason-high 35 points after the Knicks fell short in their Game 3 loss to the Pacers.
“We took an L. That’s how I viewed it. It doesn’t mean anything,” DiVincenzo said. “Going into the next game, I’ve gotta be better in other categories. And that’s what I’m gonna watch.”
The banged-up Knicks had a day off ahead of Game 4 on Sunday, and that probably was a good thing with Brunson playing through a sore foot in Game 3.
DiVincenzo, who only has missed one game all season, also appeared to be moving gingerly after Friday’s game.
“Nah, I landed on my back. I’m fine,” said DiVincenzo, who played 44 minutes for the third straight game in the series. “Just a little in the moment, got back up.”
DiVincenzo has picked himself up after some slumping moments in the first round against the 76ers, with an average of 29.3 points per game against Indiana. He nailed 7 of 11 from 3-point range in Game 3 to boost his shooting percentage from beyond the arc in the first three games to a whopping 56.3 (18for-32).
“I think he said it before, if he’s going to play he’s fine. My mindset is not, ‘Oh he’s questionable, he might be banged up, we need to do X, Y and Z,’ ” DiVincenzo said of Brunson. “Every game just has the mindset of being aggressive, just taking what the defense gives you.
“And [Friday] from the 3-point line it was falling. Just trying to be aggressive to make them react. That’s all. That’s all my mindset was.”
DiVincenzo buried big shots to help the Knicks win Game 2 and Game 6 in the first round against the 76ers, but he dipped offensively — shooting 39.3 percent (11-for-28) and totaling just 30 points — in the other four games.
After Friday’s loss, DiVincenzo credited veteran guard Alec Burks, who scored 14 points in his first extended action of the postseason, with helping him maintain his confidence during those struggles.
“Kind of just kept building me up, just always telling me it comes back around,” DiVincenzo said. “He’s been around the league for a long time. He knows how these things go. And he has the most confidence in me . ... My confidence is always high — but there’s always different moments throughout a series and throughout seasons where you can always get picked up and he was the first one to pick me up.”