After watching their superstar guard Jalen Brunson go down with an injury on Wednesday night, the New York Knicks received an official diagnosis on Thursday afternoon.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Brunson has suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain on his right ankle. As expected, he will miss the team's next game, which takes place on Friday against the Miami Heat. Beyond that, his timeline for a return is unclear.
Considering Brunson is listed day-to-day without a long-term timeline, that might just be win for the Knicks, who rely heavily on their All-Star guard to lead them to success nightly.
When Brunson left Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, reporters saw the star guard wearing a walking boot and uses crutches. That was an unfortunate sight, which suggested his setback could affect the team long-term. Early on, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
So far this season, Brunson has appeared in 11 games for the Knicks. Seeing the court for 33.9 minutes per game, the veteran guard has been making 46 percent of his shots from the field and knocking down 36 percent of his threes on 7.6 attempts per game. Brunson has averaged 28.0 points per game, while dishing out 6.5 assists per game, and coming down with 3.5 rebounds.
He appeared in most of Wednesday's action against the Orlando Magic. Brunson checked in for a little under 37 minutes. Late in the fourth quarter, Brunson took a fall and was slow to get up. When he walked off the court on his own power, he had a noticeable limp and went straight back to the locker room.
Brunson finished the night with 31 points, three rebounds, and six assists. The Knicks took on a 124-107 loss.
With that loss, the Knicks fell to 4-7 on the year. They are currently tied in third place, sitting 2.5 games back from the first-place Detroit Pistons, matching with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knicks are set to battle it out in NBA Cup action on Friday against the Miami Heat at 7 PM ET on Friday. The two teams will meet for a rematch next Monday. Brunson's status for that matchup will be up in the air for the time being.
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