LOS ANGELES – The Knicks' dramatic losses on Thursday night were exacerbated by Jalen Branson's stepping off the court.
The star point guard swung his right ankle badly after landing at Austin Reeves, remaining 1:24 with 1:24 in overtime for the Lakers collapsed under the basket after absorbing multiple fouls on the drive.
Branson remained in the game to hit two free throws that tied the score, but did not attempt to slowly head towards the locker room from the foul line position.
Branson didn't talk about what would happen after the game, but his best friend on the team, Josh Hart, had expected his absence “for a moment.” The injury carried a sprained appearance of the ankle.
“Obviously, that's a shame about the injury. We have to expect him to go out a little bit,” Hart said. “There are people there. Now we need to step up. Other people's roles will grow. There's more opportunities. Float until he comes back, get offensive, get out there and compete.”
Thursday night was not a good sign of life without Branson.
The Knicks bombed the stretch aggressively as LeBron James filled in a clutch free throw to seal off the LA victory under the “MVP” chants.
Branson finished with 39 points in 41 minutes, but was not available in the final 81 seconds, but New York fell 5-1 this season.
The Knicks (40-22), the loser of two straights, face Clippers on consecutive Fridays when Branson's status is unofficially questionable.
“It's definitely going to be an adjustment. [without Brunson]. At the last minute, we were a bit stagnant, but that was tough,” Hart said. “We got some new plays and got others involved. No one wants to get hurt, but now it's an opportunity for someone else to be called. Here we are all confident. We have to go out and be aggressive.
The Knicks blew it away with regulations. They went up to 10 years in seven minutes and then succumbed to a 19-6 run, where the Lakers were lifted three times with the remaining Lakers in under 90 seconds.
Branson – Who else? – Converted 1 and 1 to tie the scores with the next ownership, and the team forced overtime to trade mistakes in the final seconds.
“I thought it was a fierce fighting game. Tom Thibodeau said. “A lot of tough plays. We couldn't get to the loose ball. That's what it is. A lot of the time, that's the difference. The first 3½ quarter was really good. Obviously, we ended up finishing better.”
The coach praised Branson's decision to stay in the game to hit a free throw after a nasty ankle turn.
“His mental strength is through the roof,” Thibodeau said. “The way he played the whole game, they loaded him pretty well. And he just kept fighting, he kept fighting.”
For the Lakers (40-21), who won eight straight wins, Luka Donsic scored 32 points with 12 assists.
LeBron was once again his father's strength over time, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds in 44 minutes.
