Jalen Brunson was crucial down the stretch for the New York Knicks in their Game 2 win over the Heat, but in parts of the game, it was obvious that his ankle was bothering him. He joined Julius Randle on the injury report with right ankle soreness, but both were upgraded to available and were in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
Brunson scored 10 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and afterward enjoyed yet another press conference moment with Josh Hart. New York won’t be in action again until Saturday afternoon, which has given Brunson additional time to recover. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Brunson was limited in practice on Thursday and his status for Game 3 is uncertain.
Jalen Brunson "didn't do much" in practice today, Tom Thibodeau said. When asked if Brunson's status for Game 3 was in question, Thibodeau said "day to day."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 4, 2023
Given the Knicks’ long break between Games 2 and 3, it makes sense why Brunson was limited in practice. There isn’t a need for him to push himself. If New York fans had to guess, it’d be reasonable to say that Brunson will be available on Saturday. As Hart said ahead of Game 2, Brunson is a warrior and is going to do whatever it takes to be on the floor.
The same can be said about Jimmy Butler, who missed Game 2 after rolling his ankle late in the fourth quarter of Game 1. It was a smart decision by the Heat to not let Butler play on Tuesday because although Erik Spoelstra said that Miami won’t know if the forward can play or not until Saturday, the break will allow for him to have five full days off.
It’ll take a lot for both Brunson and Butler to not take the court for their teams in Game 3.
More Knicks news
- Sauce Gardner has been in the headlines after he went to Game 2 with Aaron Rodgers on Tuesday and didn’t know Jessica Alba’s name.
- Immanuel Quickley has struggled in the playoffs for New York and played a season-low nine minutes in Game 2 as a result.
- Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright spoke to reporter John Fanta about Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, adding that he might be at the Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday.
- Leon Rose didn’t get any first-place votes for NBA Executive of the Year, but there’s a reason for that.
NBA news
- Pat Beverley said on his podcast that he and Russell Westbrook want championship rings if the Lakers win the title.
- Boston’s Marcus Smart won the NBA Hustle Award for the second year in a row and the third time in his career.
- JJ Redick said that he has a problem with the “agenda-driven media” after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Grizzlies had informed Dillon Brooks that he wouldn’t be brought back “under any circumstances.” Brooks will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Knicks: 3 best moments from Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart playoff pressers
New York Knicks fans have started to look forward to seeing the latest antics between Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in their postgame press conferences.