All this considered, this was probably the best-case scenario for Jalen Brunson.
He suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain during the Knicks’ 124-107 loss to the Magic Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, per a league source. He will miss the team’s game against the Heat at MSG on Friday and will be evaluated daily moving forward.
Grade 1 is the mildest type of sprain possible.
Last year, Brunson sprained that same right ankle in March and ended up being out for just under a month, missing 15 games.
The Knicks went 9-6 in those 15 games he missed last season.
The hope is that this time around will not be as long.
Brunson suffered the injury during garbage time in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game.
Trailing by 16 with just 1:54 left in the game, Brunson drove to the rim and tried to plant his right foot while going up for a layup. But his ankle twisted on Wendell Carter Jr’s foot, and he fell to the ground. He was fouled on the play and took both free throws, but before going to the line looked over to the Knicks bench and shook his head.
Immediately after taking the free throws, Brunson exited and went into the tunnel.
He had 31 points and six assists before exiting and has enjoyed a stellar start to the season while adjusting to coach Mike Brown’s new system. He is averaging 28.0 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range.
After Friday’s clash, the Knicks are set for a five-game road trip. Wednesday’s loss snapped a five-game winning streak and marked the Knicks’ first loss at MSG this season.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
