Jalen Brunson — the man who was fifth in MVP voting and has carried the Knicks through these playoffs — left Game 2 against the Pacers in the first quarter the team announced he was questionable to return due to a foot injury.
Jalen Brunson (sore right foot) is questionable to return.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) May 9, 2024
However, Brunson returned at the start of the second half. He came out of the locker room early, before his teammates, and had an extended warmup before giving it a go.
At this point there is little information on what the injury is or when it happened. While the TNT broadcast showed a play where Andrew Nembhard appeared to hit Brunson in the “groin” area, that was not the play that injured him, sources told The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
Here’s my best guess of when Jalen Brunson tweaked his right foot. He immediately demanded a sub. pic.twitter.com/Wxe6ZWW3oT
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) May 9, 2024
Brunson left the game with 3:32 left in the first quarter, and the Knicks were up by seven. New York was outscored 56-39 the rest of the way and trailed by 10 at the half. Brunson’s absence was not the main reason for that, the Knicks played some of their worst defense in a while against an offense that made them pay.
The Knicks have been hit hard by injuries this postseason. Also out are Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Julius Randle (shoulder) and Bojan Bogdanovic (foot, wrist). While all those hurt the team, losing Brunson could spell the end of their postseason run.
