Jalen Brunson and Al Horford get into heated spat as Jrue Holiday & Rick Brunson step in after Celtics star hits the floor

It was a tough day for Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Boston Celtics took Game 3 115-93 to cut the series lead to 2-1, and the tension was apparent between the two teams with the Celtics on the verge of winning the game.

With just over eight minutes remaining in the contest and the Celtics with a massive 21-point lead, Brunson and his father Nick Brunson got into a heated exchange with Jrue Holiday and Al Horford. The spat ignited after the Knicks star pushed Horford to the floor in the fourth quarter.

The video showed Jalen Brunson guarding Horford near the post. Trying to take the benefit of the mismatch, Hordford asked for the ball from Payton Pritchard. However, before the ball could get to him, Brunson pushed him on the floor.

The video showed Horford exchanging words with Brunson while walking towards the bench.

"Buddy, buddy, that’s a foul," Horford was seen telling the Knicks guard.

Knicks assistant coach Nick Brunson and Jrue Holiday were also seen exchanging words during the heated exchange.

How did Jalen Brunson perform in Game 3 loss to the Celtics?

After two home game losses, the defending champion Celtics took Game 3 to cut the series lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, despite an impressive outing from Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks star had 27 points and 7 assists in 40 minutes, shooting over 42.8% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. He shot 9 of 21 shots from the floor. In Games 1 & 2 Brunson had shot under 40% from the field, yet despite his struggles, the Knicks had won both games.

Only Bruson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 21 points, had 20 or more points for the Knicks. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was OG Anunoby, who had just two points in the game. He has now struggled in back-to-back games after finishing with just five points in Game 2. Anunoby played a crucial part in the Game 1 win with 29 points.

With the Celtics cutting the series lead to just one game, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks must win Game 4 at home to have a better chance of taking the series.