The New York Knicks will be without All-Star guard Jalen Brunson for at least two weeks after he sprained his ankle Thursday night.
Brunson suffered the injury during the Knicks’ 113-109 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Brunson was fouled as he drove to the cup with 1:24 remaining in overtime with the Knicks trailing 107-105. He landed awkwardly on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves and immediately grabbed his right ankle while writhing in pain. Brunson briefly remained in the game and hit both free throws to tie the contest 107-107, but the Knicks immediately fouled so Brunson could be subbed out of the game.
Brunson limped off the court under his own power and went straight back to the locker room. He finished the night with 39 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.
Brunson has been readily available this year and has played in all but one of the Knicks’ 62 games this season. He is set to miss time as the Knicks jockey for position in the Eastern Conference in the final weeks of the regular season. Entering Friday, New York (40-22) is currently third in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-10) and Boston Celtics (45-18).
Brunson fractured his left hand in the Knicks’ Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2024 playoffs.
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