Jalen Brunson Injury, Jalen Brunson, KNICKS
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Jalen Brunson #11 of 00the New York Knicks watches the game from the bench in the second half during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 2026 in New York City.
The Jalen Brunson injury meant the New York Knicks were without their captain and best player for a second consecutive game in Saturday’s 106-99 home loss to the Phoenix Suns. Thankfully, the superstar point guard isn’t expected to miss too much more action with the ankle injury he sustained on Jan. 14.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown noted that Brunson is “day-to-day” and could return for Monday’s clash against the Dallas Mavericks.
“No. He’s day to day,” Brown said when asked if the Knicks were concerned about the Jalen Brunson injury, via SNY’s Ian Begley.
Ian Begley
Mike Brown was asked tonight if there was concern about Jalen Brunson’s ankle sprain. “No. He’s day to day.” On Josh Hart, Brown said, “He’s just a little sore so we’re just going to be cautious especially this time of year.” Hart is out with right ankle soreness.
Jalen Brunson Injury Update
It’s worth noting that Brunson was upgraded to questionable just hours before tip-off on Saturday, which is a positive sign in his recovery from the right ankle sprain.
The Knicks also sat out Josh Hart, arguably the team’s second-most important player, against Phoenix with what the team described as right ankle soreness. According to Brown, Hart’s absence was more of a precautionary move after the two-way wing played both games of the back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
“He’s just a little sore,” Brown said of the Josh Hart injury, via Begley. “So we’re just going to be cautious, especially this time of year.”
Hart had missed nearly three weeks of action with an ankle injury he suffered during the Christmas Day victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Knicks in Panic Mode?
The loss to the Suns on Saturday could have far-reaching consequences for the Knicks, who’ve lost eight of their 10 games and are now just half a game ahead of the fourth-seeded Toronto Raptors and 1.5 games clear of the sixth-seeded Cavaliers.
The fans at Madison Square Garden rained down boos during the loss to Phoenix when the franchise celebrated Alumni Night.
“You don’t ever want to have boos, but at the end of the day, the fans here are passionate and you respect and embrace their passion,” Brown said of the fans’ frustration, via Jared Schwartz of New York Post.
“But it hurts. It hurts the staff, it hurts the players.”
Brown, though, refused to hit the panic button and cited New York’s current woes to injuries and a lack of rhythm.
“There’s concern there, but not to the point where we’re gonna overhaul everything,” Brown said. “We gotta work. We gotta look in the mirror, see how we can individually help the group, starting with me.”
Karl-Anthony Towns did not share his head coach’s optimsim, admitting that he was very concerned about the Knicks’ ongoing downward spiral.
“A lot,” Towns said of his frustration level. “I don’t like losing any games, so of course, for me, the concern is winning the next one. Just staying focused on the task at hand, winning games and giving our fans something to cheer for.”
The Knicks (25-17) will hope to have both Brunson and Hart back for Monday’s NBC/Peacock matinee clash against the Dallas Mavericks (17-26).