The Knicks have another injury to worry about. And they can’t afford to be bad about this.
Jalen Brunson twisted his right ankle with 5 minutes, 31 seconds left in a game against the short-handed Grizzlies and rushed to the locker room.
Brunson did not return to the bench and dropped 27 points with eight assists as the Knicks won 123-113.
Brunson was injured on his way to the basket and immediately collapsed onto the court in pain.
He tried to shake it off and continue playing, but left the ensuing timeout in the Garden tunnel.
He was followed by his father and assistant coach Rick Brunson, who returned a few minutes later.
The Knicks nearly blew their lead without Brunson, seeing their lead drop to 10-4 with about two minutes left. But then Donte DiVincenzo (32 points) hit a clutch trey and Precious Achiuwa (17 points) dunked a putback to regain control.
The Grizzlies (18-33) once again donned their G League attire.
Their best players were all out: Ja Morant (shoulder), Desmond Bane (ankle), Brandon Clarke (Achilles), Jaren Jackson Jr. (hip) and Marcus Smart (finger).
Most of them won’t be back this season.
The most notable player on Tuesday’s roster was Derrick Rose, who played against MSG for the first time since 2019. All of the Grizzlies’ starters (Santi Aldama, Vince Williams Jr., Trey Jemison, Jacob Gilyard and John Konchar) will do so. The lineup was difficult for Knicks fans to pin down.
The Knicks (33-18) were also hurt by injuries (albeit less severely), but led by double digits wire-to-wire for most of the game.
They improved to 22-1 against a team that entered Tuesday night with a losing record, including 12 straight losses.
Their defense probably didn’t sit well with Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday — especially during a sluggish start in the fourth quarter — but from tipoff to the final buzzer, there were no big questions. .
The biggest issue is Brunson’s health.
Brunson has missed just two games this season, and there are only three games left before the hiatus, when Brunson is scheduled to make his first All-Star appearance.
The Knicks already have some injuries. The team lost OG Anuboby for the fifth consecutive game due to elbow inflammation, but Thibodeau did not explain the injury, citing “medical” reasons.
The Knicks have not released their doctors to the media.
Quentin Grimes sat out his third straight game with a knee sprain. Neither Grimes nor Anunoby were on the Knicks’ bench during the game.
However, Julius Randle, who lost his fifth straight game due to a dislocated shoulder, was on the back of the bench.
Meanwhile, Rose received a great ovation when he entered the game in the first quarter.
The point guard, who was originally signed by the Grizzlies to coach Morant, dropped seven points in 12 minutes shortly after receiving high praise from his old friend Thibodeau.
“It’s not fun to play against and coach against him. Great guy,” Thibodeau said (on numerous occasions) of his former player. “I was just thinking about him the other day. I’ve been with him every step of the way. And no matter what role you ask him to play, he does it brilliantly.
“And what stood out to me when I looked back at his entire career is that he’s a Hall of Famer and the youngest MVP of all time. And when he became the youngest MVP, it stood out. was that humility. He was unbelievable every night he was on the court. But the humility of being a great teammate. And he always had that. And now he’s in Memphis. I don’t think there’s anyone better around Jay for the role he’s playing. And I think that’s great for him. If he’s healthy, and that’s important, he can play. You can do it.”
