It's been said a hundred times this season, but the New York Knicks can't catch a break. Julius Randle dislocated his shoulder in January (and eventually had surgery), Bojan Bogdanovic hurt his foot in round one and had surgery, and Mitchell Robinson suffered a "stress injury" in his ankle in the Knicks' Game 1 semifinals win against the Pacers. Keep in mind that Robinson missed more than three months earlier in the season after he had ankle surgery.
The one player New York can't afford to lose is Jalen Brunson. Guess what happened in Game 2? In the first quarter, it appeared that Brunson hurt his hand. He didn't start the second quarter because he was in the locker room. Knicks fans anxiously awaited an update, only to learn that the point guard was questionable to return with a sore right foot.
Jalen Brunson (sore right foot) is questionable to return.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) May 9, 2024
Here's the play in which it seems Brunson injured his foot:
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 and the Knicks are used to playing through pain, so it's telling that he immediately asked for a sub.
Jalen Brunson returns to court after major Knicks injury scare
Brunson was 2-for-2 from the field for five points in eight minutes before he exited the game. He's on a four-game streak of scoring 40+ points, which will most likely end on Wednesday, given he missed the end of the first quarter and the entire second quarter.
The good news is that OG Anunoby put up 22 points in the first half on 8-of-15 shooting. He's been attacking the paint, a tactic that's worked well. Outside of Anunoby, Josh Hart is the only other Knick who has scored in double digits at the half with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. New York needs Deuce McBride, who has four points on 1-of-4 shooting, to come alive in the second half.
Brunson's injury led to Alec Burks checking into the game with less than a minute left in the second quarter. He hasn't played since April 12, if that tells you how desperate the Knicks are.
Luckily, Brunson was back on the court for the start of the second half. His foot is still bothering him, but it's obviously a good sign that he returned. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious, and he'll be fine for the rest of the series.