A 113-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night stung the New York Knicks for more reasons than one. Aside from suffering their fourth loss in the last seven games, the Knicks lost Jalen Brunson in overtime due to what looked to be a painful ankle injury. After this loss in Los Angeles, Josh Hart spoke about his teammate’s injury, citing that Brunson will likely miss time.
“It’s a bummer of an injury,” Hart said, via the Associated Press. “We expect him to be out for a little bit.”
While pushing the pace in transition and seeking to tie the game with about 1:24 left on the clock, Brunson severely rolled his right ankle and was on the ground writhing in pain. He was given a few extra minutes to try and ease his mind before taking two free throws due to a challenge from JJ Redick and the Lakers.
Jalen Brunson exits after tying the game in overtime.
Brunson appeared to have rolled his ankle leading to his trip to the line. pic.twitter.com/xnTWfzowry
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2025
Brunson did make both of his free throws, but he remained stationary at the free-throw line, not taking a single step. Mitchell Robinson immediately fouled the Lakers after the inbounds pass, allowing Brunson to limp off the court and straight to the locker room.
No updates on Brunson’s injury status was given by the Knicks on Thursday night.
New York’s All-Star point guard put together one of his best games of the season in Los Angeles on Thursday night, tallying 39 points and 10 assists. He was the main reason why the Knicks had a chance to win this game in overtime after converting a three-point play with just over 40 seconds left in regulation.
Should Brunson be forced to miss time as the team and Hart are bracing for, this will be a massive blow to the Knicks’ end-of-season push.
At 40-22 overall, New York occupies the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference. While they are 3.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks are in the middle of a tough five-game West Coast road trip.
Brunson will undoubtedly miss Friday’s game against the LA Clippers, and he could miss the remainder of this road trip against the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Golden State Warriors.
Without Brunson, Deuce McBride would be the one to see his minutes increase and likely be elevated to the starting lineup. Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne would also see their minutes increase off the bench as a result. Brunson has only missed one game this season, and he four games away from reaching the minimum requirement to remain eligible for end-of-season honors such as All-NBA.
The Knicks will provide further updates on Brunson’s status before Friday night’s game against the Clippers.
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