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The Knicks didn’t need vintage Jalen Brunson on Sunday night.
Not against a spiraling Phoenix Suns team that was without Kevin Durant and that remains a long shot to make the NBA’s play-in tournament.
But Brunson’s return after a 15-game absence for a right ankle sprain was a welcome sight for the Knicks.
The star guard finished with 15 points, two rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes in the Knicks’ 112-98 win at Madison Square Garden.
He showed some rust, shooting 3-of-9, including 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts, as the offense ran through a red-hot OG Anunoby, who erupted for 32 points.
But in the game’s waning minutes, Brunson delivered.
With 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, Brunson drilled a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up by 10, effectively serving as the dagger. He added three free throws to ice the game.
Sunday’s return came exactly one month after Brunson rolled his ankle when he landed awkwardly on a lay-up attempt during the overtime period of the Knicks’ March 6 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The scary-looking injury left Brunson writhing in pain, and after he made a pair of free throws, he limped to the locker room.
The Knicks went 9-6 without Brunson, and while their defensive efficiency improved over that stretch, they scored only 111.7 points per game in his absence, compared to their season-long average of 116.2 to begin play Sunday.
Brunson practiced with contact on Friday, then entered Sunday as a game-time decision.
He was greeted with a modest roar as he arrived to the Garden court for a 15-minute pregame warmup, then earned a raucous ovation about 90 minutes later when he was introduced as a Knicks starter.
The Knicks allowed him to ease back into action early.
Brunson typically plays the entire first quarter, but he subbed out with 3:04 left in the opening period and did not return until there was 6:10 remaining before halftime.
He finished the first half with five points on 1-of-3 shooting, with the lone basket coming on a transition runner he made over Bradley Beal. He dished out three assists in 15 first-half minutes.
Brunson played the full third quarter, then sat the first 4:39 of the fourth before returning as the Suns turned a 17-point deficit into a 10-point disadvantage.
Helping the Knicks give Brunson a rest at times was the subsequent return of backup point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, who had missed the previous eight games with a groin contusion.
McBride scored eights in 16 minutes.
The Knicks also got 14 minutes from Cameron Payne, who played in his second game in a row after missing the previous four with an ankle sprain.
Brunson, 28, entered Sunday averaging a team-high 26.3 points and 7.4 assists in 35.4 minutes per game. While he didn’t approach those numbers against the Suns, he delivered multiple highlight-worthy moments.
In the first quarter, Brunson lasered a pass between two Suns defenders, finding Anunoby beneath the basket for a dunk.
Early in the third quarter, Brunson converted a three-point play when he finished a floater through contact by Royce O’Neale.
Later in the third, Brunson split the Suns defense with a precise bounce pass to a driving Mikal Bridges, who cashed in with a lay-up.
The Suns primarily defended Brunson with Ryan Dunn, a 6-8 rookie with a 7-1 wingspan, and the scrappy Collin Gillespie, who, like Brunson, played at Villanova.
Sunday marked the 62nd appearance of the season for Brunson. There are four games left in the regular season. Brunson will need to play in three of them to reach 65 games, which is the NBA’s cutoff for award consideration.
Last week, after he was cleared to return to basketball activities, Brunson spoke about the importance of returning before the playoffs.
“I think it’s good for me to get some game reps before we go into that kind of stretch run,” Brunson said. “But most importantly, I want to make sure I’m healthy.”
Sunday was a solid first step.
Continue reading...
Not against a spiraling Phoenix Suns team that was without Kevin Durant and that remains a long shot to make the NBA’s play-in tournament.
But Brunson’s return after a 15-game absence for a right ankle sprain was a welcome sight for the Knicks.
The star guard finished with 15 points, two rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes in the Knicks’ 112-98 win at Madison Square Garden.
He showed some rust, shooting 3-of-9, including 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts, as the offense ran through a red-hot OG Anunoby, who erupted for 32 points.
But in the game’s waning minutes, Brunson delivered.
With 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, Brunson drilled a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up by 10, effectively serving as the dagger. He added three free throws to ice the game.
Sunday’s return came exactly one month after Brunson rolled his ankle when he landed awkwardly on a lay-up attempt during the overtime period of the Knicks’ March 6 loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
The scary-looking injury left Brunson writhing in pain, and after he made a pair of free throws, he limped to the locker room.
The Knicks went 9-6 without Brunson, and while their defensive efficiency improved over that stretch, they scored only 111.7 points per game in his absence, compared to their season-long average of 116.2 to begin play Sunday.
Brunson practiced with contact on Friday, then entered Sunday as a game-time decision.
He was greeted with a modest roar as he arrived to the Garden court for a 15-minute pregame warmup, then earned a raucous ovation about 90 minutes later when he was introduced as a Knicks starter.
The Knicks allowed him to ease back into action early.
Brunson typically plays the entire first quarter, but he subbed out with 3:04 left in the opening period and did not return until there was 6:10 remaining before halftime.
He finished the first half with five points on 1-of-3 shooting, with the lone basket coming on a transition runner he made over Bradley Beal. He dished out three assists in 15 first-half minutes.
Brunson played the full third quarter, then sat the first 4:39 of the fourth before returning as the Suns turned a 17-point deficit into a 10-point disadvantage.
Helping the Knicks give Brunson a rest at times was the subsequent return of backup point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, who had missed the previous eight games with a groin contusion.
McBride scored eights in 16 minutes.
The Knicks also got 14 minutes from Cameron Payne, who played in his second game in a row after missing the previous four with an ankle sprain.
Brunson, 28, entered Sunday averaging a team-high 26.3 points and 7.4 assists in 35.4 minutes per game. While he didn’t approach those numbers against the Suns, he delivered multiple highlight-worthy moments.
In the first quarter, Brunson lasered a pass between two Suns defenders, finding Anunoby beneath the basket for a dunk.
Early in the third quarter, Brunson converted a three-point play when he finished a floater through contact by Royce O’Neale.
Later in the third, Brunson split the Suns defense with a precise bounce pass to a driving Mikal Bridges, who cashed in with a lay-up.
The Suns primarily defended Brunson with Ryan Dunn, a 6-8 rookie with a 7-1 wingspan, and the scrappy Collin Gillespie, who, like Brunson, played at Villanova.
Sunday marked the 62nd appearance of the season for Brunson. There are four games left in the regular season. Brunson will need to play in three of them to reach 65 games, which is the NBA’s cutoff for award consideration.
Last week, after he was cleared to return to basketball activities, Brunson spoke about the importance of returning before the playoffs.
“I think it’s good for me to get some game reps before we go into that kind of stretch run,” Brunson said. “But most importantly, I want to make sure I’m healthy.”
Sunday was a solid first step.
Continue reading...
