Jalen Brunson endured bodily play within the Knicks’ 100-94 Sport 2 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Madison Sq. Backyard on Monday, alarming followers with one other transient however unsettling late-game exit.
“He battled like crazy,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned.
With 4:43 remaining within the fourth quarter, throughout a spirited Knicks comeback, the star level guard dedicated a foul on Jalen Duren, exited the sport, and went again to the locker room, accompanied by his father, Rick Brunson.
Brunson had been managing a proper ankle sprain from earlier within the season and tweaked his ankle once more in Sport 1 whereas making an attempt a layup, touchdown awkwardly after contact with Detroit’s Ausar Thompson. He wasn’t listed on the damage report for Sport 2, suggesting he was cleared to play.
The explanation for Brunson’s exit from the court docket in Sport 2 wasn’t disclosed, leaving Knicks followers anxiously awaiting updates. Fortuitously, they didn’t wait lengthy. The 2-time All-Star emerged from the tunnel 16 seconds later, simply in time for one more dramatic end.
“I went back, did some things and then came back ready to go into the game,” Brunson mentioned.
In Sport 1, Brunson briefly went to the locker room between the third and fourth quarters to alter his sneakers, proper earlier than the Knicks went on a 21-0 run. He wore the Nike Kobe 6 Grinch sneaker to start out the sport and returned carrying the Nike Kobe 5 “The Joke’s on You” sneaker.
When requested if his ankle was bothering him after Sport 1, Brunson mentioned it “feels great”.
“We’ve got bodies we can keep throwing at him,” Pistons head coach J. B. Bickerstaff mentioned of Brunson. “If the game’s physical and we keep bumping, bruising, our aim’s to wear guys down…We need to be who we are…be physical.”
Brunson’s 13-foot jumper narrowed the Knicks’ deficit to 2 with 2:23 remaining. Moments later, he transformed 2-of-3 free throws after being fouled on a three-point try by Tobias Harris.
Nevertheless, Brunson missed a possible game-tying 3-pointer with 46.5 seconds left, ending with a game-high 37 factors and including three rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 44 minutes. He shot 12-for-27 from the sphere.
“I feel like I’m getting to spots and missing shots I normally make,” Brunson mentioned. “And I could be a lot better. I hold myself to a higher standard when it comes to that. I need to put my team in position to win. All the other stuff doesn’t really matter, what the stats were. When it comes to a loss that doesn’t matter at all. I just need to help my team, put them in position to win and tonight I didn’t do that.”
Initially Revealed: April 21, 2025 at 10:19 PM EDT
