Mike Brown wasn’t able to throw within the towel.
That’s why Jalen Brunson was nonetheless on the courtroom Wednesday when he rolled his proper ankle with 1:54 remaining, and the Knicks trailing by 16 factors, within the fourth quarter of their eventual 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic.
“I’ve been a part of some crazy, crazy comebacks,” Brown stated earlier than Friday’s sport in opposition to the Miami Warmth at Madison Sq. Backyard. “I’m trying to win the game. A couple minutes left. A stop and two 3s, and it’s a two-possession game. That’s all I was trying to do, is win the game.”
Brunson was dominated out for Friday’s sport, two days after he suffered what a league supply described as a Grade 1 ankle sprain — the bottom degree of severity. Miles “Deuce” McBride received the beginning Friday in Brunson’s place.
On Wednesday, the Knicks had been down, 115-99, when Brunson’s ankle rolled awkwardly on a drive to the basket.
Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. was referred to as for a foul on the play, and OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Cities, Landry Shamet and McBride all subbed out as Brunson shot free throws.
Brunson dedicated a foul — his sixth — two seconds later, then went straight to the locker room, showing to stroll with a slight limp.
“If I feel like our guys are still being competitive and still trying to play the right way and win the game, and I feel like there’s a chance, then I’m going to try to win the game,” Brown stated of his philosophy on when to tug starters.
It’s unclear if Brunson will be part of the Knicks on their upcoming five-game highway journey, and Brown stated he hadn’t spoken with coach Casey Smith about it but. The journey begins Monday in Miami and features a cease in Brooklyn on Nov. 24.
The Knicks plan to judge Brunson each day. However Brown acknowledged there was a sigh of aid that Brunson’s prognosis was delicate.
“I don’t try to figure out much about the medical. I don’t know much about the technical terms,” Brown stated.
“When somebody says [an] MRI or X-ray or whatever is negative, that’s a good thing. So when I heard, ‘Negative,’ I was like, ‘Great.’ But when they say Grade-this, Grade-that, I couldn’t tell you. But you never want anybody hurt, let alone somebody on your team and somebody in the caliber of Jalen.”
Brunson, an All-Star each of the final two years, leads the Knicks in factors (28.0) and assists (6.5) per sport this season.
His absence comes amid an acclimation interval for the Knicks of their first season in Brown’s fast-paced system.
“This is a process,” Brown stated. “It’s about having the next-man-up mentality. If this guy’s out, next man step up, and you don’t have to do anything extraordinary. Just do your job. No different for me. If a guy is down, I’ve got to do my job and not try to be too creative.”
FIGHTING WORDS
Warmth guard Davion Mitchell raised some eyebrows along with his tackle Brunson’s absence.
“Him being out actually kind of makes them a little bit more dangerous, too, just because they move the ball more,” Mitchell stated earlier than Friday’s sport. “They’re not really stagnant, they’ve got guys, defensively, who can really guard. Like Miles McBride, he can really guard.”
Now in his second season with the Warmth, Mitchell performed two seasons below Brown with the Sacramento Kings.
