The last thing a contending team with the playoffs right on the horizon is a major injury to one of their best players. For example, the Phoenix Suns suffered an untimely ankle injury to blockbuster trade deadline acquisition Kevin Durant due to an unfortunate slip. On Thursday night, it was the New York Knicks' turn to catch a bad break, after Jalen Brunson appeared to aggravate his foot injury against the Sacramento Kings.
After playing in just 19 first-half minutes, Brunson will not return to the Knicks' contest against the Kings due to a sore left foot, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN. In his limited minutes, the Knicks guard tallied 19 points on 6-12 shooting, a characteristic performance for a player who has emerged into the spotlight following his move to the Big Apple this past offseason.
It remains unclear if Jalen Brunson exacerbated his foot injury, or whether the Knicks are merely being cautious with the postseason a whisker away. After all, this is the same injury that kept Brunson out of the Knicks' previous two games, which were against the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets.
It seemed like Jalen Brunson tweaked his foot on the final possession of the second quarter. With less than 10 seconds left in the first half, Brunson orchestrated a pick-and-roll with Julius Randle on the left wing. Two defenders converged on Brunson, and he kicked it out to RJ Barrett who drove straight to the hoop for an easy two points.
In the aftermath, however, Brunson seemed to put more weight on his left foot than he intended as his momentum carried him all the way to the baseline out of bounds. After the play, Brunson appeared to shake his head as he tried to run off the pain while getting back on defense. As the first-half buzzer sounded, Brunson had his hands on his knees; it's inconclusive, however, if that's due to fatigue or left foot pain.
If Brunson were to miss time, the Knicks will rely on Immanuel Quickley once more. Quickley memorably dropped a career-high 38 point performance against the Celtics with Brunson on the mend.
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