A tough night time for the Knicks grew to become even worse as Jalen Brunson suffered an ankle damage within the waning minutes of Wednesday’s 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Brunson’s proper ankle rolled awkwardly as he was fouled by Wendell Carter Jr. on a drive to the basket with 1:54 left in regulation.
The star level guard stayed in to shoot two free throws, then dedicated a foul — his sixth — two seconds later and walked straight to the locker room, showing to limp barely.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown confirmed Brunson turned his proper ankle and had no additional replace. However The Athletic reported Brunson left Madison Sq. Backyard on crutches and in a strolling boot.
Brunson didn’t communicate to the media after the sport. The Knicks trailed, 115-99, when Brunson suffered the damage.
“I haven’t talked to him,” Josh Hart mentioned. “I have no idea.”
Brunson missed 15 video games with a proper ankle sprain final season, then appeared to tweak the damage a number of occasions throughout the Knicks’ run to the Japanese Convention Finals with out ever sitting out of a playoff recreation.
Brunson, who scored a game-high 31 factors earlier than fouling out Wednesday, had been one of many Knicks’ lone vibrant spots on an evening they suffered their first house lack of the season.
Enjoying on the second night time of a back-to-back, the Knicks (7-4) got here out flat and by no means recovered, battling the physicality of an Orlando group (6-6) that boasted the Japanese Convention’s most effective protection final season.
The Knicks dedicated six turnovers within the first quarter and 9 within the first half, after which they trailed, 62-42. They shot simply 13-of-39 (33.3%) from the sphere and 4-of-19 (21.1%) on 3-pointers earlier than halftime.
“They kicked our ass,” Brown mentioned. “It’s as simple as that. They came out with a physical presence that we didn’t handle well.”
The loss snapped the Knicks’ five-game profitable streak and dropped them to 7-1 on the Backyard.
It was probably the most lopsided defeat of the season for the Knicks, who had scored no less than 130 factors in every of the earlier three video games.
“We just didn’t do a lot of the things that made us special [during] the last winning streak,” mentioned Karl-Anthony Cities, who completed with 15 factors and 12 rebounds. “They came in with a game plan. They executed it. And we didn’t execute ours.”
The Knicks trailed by as many as 21 factors earlier than halftime.
They have been outscored, 32-19, throughout a second quarter wherein Orlando’s Franz Wagner scored 13 factors on 6-of-11 taking pictures, burning the Knicks with an array of artful lay-ups and a second-chance 3-pointer.
Wagner completed with a team-high 28 factors on 10-of-22 taking pictures and 9 rebounds, choosing up the slack after Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s prime scorer and rebounder, left within the second quarter with a groin pressure and didn’t return.
Brunson scored 16 factors within the first half, however the remainder of the Knicks totaled 26 on 9-of-29 taking pictures.
It was a far cry from Tuesday night time’s 133-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, throughout which the Knicks erupted for 42 factors within the first quarter alone.
“We didn’t respond the way we should have,” Hart mentioned. “You can blame it on the back-to-back, excuses, but there’s none of that. They flat out kicked our ass.”
The Knicks made a number of runs within the second half, together with within the fourth quarter, when a Brunson jumper minimize the deficit to 100-91 with 6:04 to go.
However Jalen Suggs answered with a dagger 3-pointer on the following possession.
“When you dig a hole like we did in the first half, it’s going to be hard,” Brown mentioned. “It’s going to be hard to come back and win the game.”
A day after the Knicks set a franchise document with 55 makes an attempt from 3-point vary, and made 22 of them, they shot simply 11-of-36 (30.6%) on 3-pointers.
Six Magic gamers scored in double figures, together with Desmond Bane, who completed with 22 factors, and Anthony Black, who added 17 off the bench. Brunson and Cities have been the one Knicks to attain in double figures.
The Knicks will look to bounce again on Friday night time, once they host the Miami Warmth within the ultimate recreation of a season-long seven-game homestand.
“Learned [a] lesson,” Hart mentioned. “We have a tough, physical opponent on Friday. And we’ve got to respond.”
