The New York Knicks' first game against the Luka Doncic Lakers came down to the wire on Thursday night in Los Angeles. New York lost a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime. It looked like Jalen Brunson would pull off one of the most impressive wins of the season, but then everything changed in the blink of an eye.
Brunson drove the rim with 1:24 left in overtime, with the Knicks down by one. He was fouled while going up, and twisted his right ankle on the way down. The point guard was clearly in pain, but he stayed in the game and knocked down both free throws before gingerly walking off the floor.
New York couldn't pull the win off without Brunson, who poured in 39 points and 10 assists before getting hurt. The rest of the season flashed before the eyes of fans, who assumed the worst. The Knicks want to make a deep playoff run, which will be nearly impossible if Brunson is sidelined.
NBA insider Chris Haynes gave fans a little bit of optimism, tweeting that there is "optimism" that Brunson sprained his ankle.
There’s optimism New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson only sustained a sprained ankle, sources tell me.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 7, 2025
The belief is that Jalen Brunson sprained his ankle in overtime loss
Hart said it was "a bummer of an injury" and that the team expects him to "be out for a little bit." Tom Thibodeau said Brunson was still being examined after the game.
Sports Medicine Doctor Brian Sutterer created a video dissecting the injury, and suspected that it is an "inversion sprain." He said Brunson should've immediately had X-rays to determine if there was a fracture and that an MRI would be the next step if there were no fracture.
Sutterer said Brunson could be sidelined for a few days to a week if it's a Grade 1 sprain, a few weeks to a month with a Grade 2 sprain, and two to three months with a Grade 3 sprain.
Nothing official has been reported about the injury, but a sprained ankle would be the best-case scenario. It seems likely that Brunson will at least miss the rest of the road trip, which will end on Saturday, March 15 in Golden State. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious, and he can return in a week or two.