When the buzzer sounded at Madison Square Garden, indicating the end of the New York Knicks’ 123-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, the sellout crowd did not cheer as usual.
The Knicks fans’ minds turned to the status of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who leads the team in minutes, points, and assists per game this season. Brunson had 27 points and eight assists before leaving New York’s 16th victory in 19 games with an apparent right-ankle injury after landing incorrectly while being fouled by G.G. Jackson with 5:31 remaining and not returning.
New York did not provide an update after the game, with coach Tom Thibodeau just responding “I don’t think so” when asked if Brunson could have returned. When asked about the injury after the game, Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein stated it “looked like an ankle sprain to me.”
The injury also reverberated in the Memphis locker room.
“I hope he’s healthy,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins stated. “He’s obviously having an unbelievable season.”
Brunson reportedly exited the Knicks locker room without a boot or a discernible limp. When asked if he was concerned about Brunson missing significant time, New York guard Donte DiVincenzo, who also played with Brunson in college at Villanova, expressed confidence in his old comrade.
“I saw him go down, and I saw him rocking back and forth,” DiVincenzo recounted afterward. “After playing with him for so long, I’m not worried about Jalen at all. “He’s one of the toughest players in the league.”
Brunson has only missed two of New York’s first 51 games. He has been especially useful over the last three weeks, averaging 32.3 points and 6.8 assists in approximately 36 minutes per game while guiding New York to a 10-1 record despite losing teammate All-Star Julius Randle and starting guard OG Anunoby to injuries.
If Brunson joins those two, as well as center Mitchell Robinson, who is also out with an ankle injury, and possibly forward Josh Hart, who was treated for a leg injury after the Knicks’ victory, New York’s top-five players in terms of minutes per game could be absent until at least the All-Star Game on February 18.
“You have so many games, so you’re going to have times, especially right before All-Star, where you’re banged up,” said Hartenstein. “That’s why you’ve got a group of guys ready to step up. We have the advantage of having numerous guys who are willing to step up. But, yeah, we’re a little beat up.”
But, according to DiVincenzo, don’t dismiss Brunson just yet.
“In my imagination, he is playing. “I don’t question that at all,” DiVincenzo stated. I am not worried about him.”
With injuries come opportunities, and DiVincenzo capitalized on Tuesday by scoring eight of New York’s final ten points after Brunson’s exit, finishing with 32 points.
“Whatever the lineup is, guys are in the NBA for a reason,” DiVincenzo said. “(Thibodeau) has a blueprint for us to play out and a game plan, and you follow that and everybody be aggressive, and you’ve seen guys have big nights, so I’m not too worried about that.”
