The New York Knicks did not know what the availability for star point guard Jalen Brunson would be after Game 2. After exiting the game with an injury in the first quarter, Brunson didn’t come back onto the court until four minutes were remaining in halftime.
He took that time to warm up, seeing how his injured foot would feel. He was cleared and his return to the lineup helped spur a huge New York Knicks run to regain control of the game early in the third quarter.
Jalen Brunson looked hampered, as he wasn’t moving too well and didn’t seem to trust his foot fully. But, that didn’t stop him from scoring 24 out of his game-high 29 points in the second half, as he carved up the Indiana Pacers.
That helped the Knicks protect homecourt and take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Alas, questions remained if Brunson would be in the lineup for Game 3 as he was coy about his status moving forward in post-game pressers.
Now, we have the answer. According to Chris Haynes, via Knicks Videos on X, Jalen Brunson will be in the lineup tonight against the Pacers for Game 3.
Jalen Brunson will play tonight in Game 3 against the Pacers, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/4p4GdZHOrs
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 10, 2024
That is huge news for the New York Knicks, who struggled mightily during Jalen Brunson’s absence in Game 2. They watched an 11-point lead disappear almost instantly, as the Pacers’ confidence grew with the Knicks star sidelined.
Unfortunately for New York, the updates for OG Anunoby weren’t as positive, as he was ruled out for the game on Thursday. He suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter of the game, coming up lame when going for a fast break layup. His status moving forward is up in the air, as he could miss several games.
He will be joining a star-studded New York Knicks injury report. Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson are all sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 NBA Playoffs already.
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