In the midst of his 39-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night, Jalen Brunson suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of the game — and the rest of the Knicks’ West Coast road trip.
Brunson was so pained after hurting his ankle driving to the hoop in overtime that he stood at the free-throw line during the entirety of the subsequent timeout. He stayed in to sink both free throws, then immediately headed to the locker room, missing the end of the Lakers’ 113-109 overtime win.
New York has four more road games in the next nine days, culminating in a nationally televised rematch with the Golden State Warriors on ABC on March 15. Brunson will miss all those contests and more.
The Knicks will be without Brunson when they face the 33-29 Los Angeles Clippers, the 32-29 Sacramento Kings (7-3 in their last 10 games), the Portland Trail Blazers (the NBA’s second-best defense since Jan. 19) and the Warriors, who defeated them in New York on Tuesday. It could mean four losses.
The Knicks have occupied third place in the Eastern Conference since Dec. 15. They still have a 3.5-game lead on the Milwaukee Bucks and a 4.5-game lead on the Indiana Pacers, but that could evaporate quickly if the Knicks stumble out West.
Finishing fourth instead of third could be the difference between facing the inexperienced Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs or the Indiana Pacers, who knocked the Knicks out in the second round last season.
New York was already short on depth and leaning heavily on its starters, with Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart leading the NBA in minutes per game. Brunson is currently 19th in the league, and the longer he is out, the longer that depth will be tested.
The saving grace for the Knicks? Milwaukee has to make its own five-game road trip to the West Coast in 10 days.
