Bojan Bogdanovic reportedly has been ruled out by the New York Knicks for Game 5 of the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
After checking into Game 4 of the series for the Knicks, Bojan Bogdanovic suffered a foot contusion by colliding with Nicolas Batum while going for a loose ball. Bogdanovic has been a key member of the Knicks' rotation off the bench so far in these playoffs. They were able to win Game 4 without him playing very much in large part due to Jalen Brunson's 47 points, which was a Knicks franchise record for most in a playoff game.
The Knicks acquired Bogdanovic in a trade with the Detroit Pistons ahead of the NBA Trade deadline. It did not bring immediate results, as Alec Burks came to New York in the trade with the Pistons as well. Burks has fallen out of the rotation with the play of Miles McBride, and Bogdanovic struggled a bit to find his spot in the rotation and overall lineup. Still, he has provided some solid minutes for the Knicks in this series against the 76ers, playing a significant part in the Knicks winning games one and two while Brunson struggled from a shooting standpoint.
It will be interesting to see if Tom Thibodeau inserts someone else into the rotation for Game 5, or if he just goes with the same players he has usually used in this series, minus Bogdanovic.
This is not the only player who is dealing with an injury for the Knicks, as Mitchell Robinson is dealing with an ankle injury that he suffered in Game 3 that caused him to miss Game 4. Mitchell Robinson gave it a go in warmups before Game 4, but ultimately did not play. It will be worth monitoring reports on Robinson's status as Game 5 approaches on Tuesday.
Jalen Brunson trying to take Knicks to second round
In games one and two of the series, Brunson did not shoot very well, as mentioned above. The Knicks were able to get performances out of supporting players like Josh Hart that helped them win the first two games. In Game 3, Brunson performed better, but Joel Embiid's 50 points led the 76ers to a win.
Brunson's 47-point performance helped the Knicks win a crucial Game 4, which gives them a chance to close out the series with a win at home in Game 5. This is while Bogdanovic missed a lot of the game, and Robinson did not play as well. Not to mention that Julius Randle is out for these playoffs as well.
In Game 4, Brunson and OG Anunoby's performances were the most notable. Josh Hart's rebounding was huge as well.
Brunson will likely need to turn in another big performance in Game 5 to advance to the second round.
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