Knicks‘ All-Star Jalen Brunson landed awkwardly on his right ankle in overtime of New York’s 113-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
The team ruled him out with a sprained right ankle ahead of tipoff in the second leg of a back-to-back against the L.A. Clippers on Friday. The Knicks will give an update on his status “in approximately two weeks.”
Which means the Knicks’ star guard will miss at least seven of New York’s final 20 regular-season games, including the remaining four of the team’s five-game road trip.
Brunson has only missed one of the Knicks’ first 61 games of the season in what has amounted to a career year for the first-time All-Star starter. He is averaging 26.7 points, a career-high 7.4 assists on 49% shooting from the field and 38.8% shooting from deep.
And without him, the Knicks find themselves in survival mode. They will need to find ways to win games shorthanded — or risk their spot as a top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
STANDINGS CHECK
The Knicks (40-22) entered Friday’s matchup against the Clippers as sole owners of the East’s No. 3 seed, a comfortable 4.5 games behind the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
They are only 3.5 games, however, ahead of the No. 4 seeded Milwaukee Bucks — who have won eight of their last 10 games — 4.5 games ahead of the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers, and 5.5 games in front of the No. 6 Detroit Pistons, also winners in eight of their last 10.
So the Knicks can’t afford to lose too many in a row — at least not if maintaining the No. 3 seed is a top priority. It should be noted that the No. 3 seed is in a virtual lock for a second-round playoff matchup against No. 2 Boston, the reigning champions.
There is an argument that the No. 4 seed provides a more favorable route to the Eastern Conference Finals via a second-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The No. 4 seed could face either Indiana or Detroit in the first round.
WHERE WILL THE KNICKS GET OFFENSE?
Mikal Bridges will need to step up. So will Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride, likely starting in place of the injured Brunson.
OG Anunoby has answered the bell as a Knicks top scorer and clutch performer in each of the last three games. With the captain out an extended period of time, Anunoby will become more aggressive in seeking his own shot.
But he can’t do it alone.
Bridges posted single-digit scoring games in two of New York’s last three games. He attempted just six shots 43 minutes of an overtime loss to the Lakers on Thursday and shot just 2-of-11 in Miami and watched much of that overtime victory from the bench.
The Knicks sacrificed their ability to use draft capital to strike significant future deals to acquire Bridges, close friends and a former Villanova teammate of both Brunson and Josh Hart.
It’s time for New York’s big investment to begin paying dividends: The Knicks need Bridges to show up on offense in addition to his role as the team’s point of attack defender. He is averaging 17.2 points per game this season but has not been consistent in being an impactful offensive player.
The Knicks will also need to up Towns’ usage.
The All-Star starting center entered Friday night’s matchup against the Clippers in an extended scoring slump, going three straight games without scoring 20 points. Coincidentally, he didn’t eclipse 13 field goals attempted in any of those games.
Towns returned from missing Tuesday’s home loss to the Golden State Warriors due to personal reasons. With Brunson out of the rotation, the Knicks need to find more creative ways to get their star center the ball in advantageous positions.
They will also need Towns, however, to be more aggressive in demanding the ball as the offensive star he is. He can add some more points to the scoreboard by going up strong through contact.
Look for McBride to become more aggressive seeking his own shot. Also look for the Knicks to use McBride’s defensive gifts to create more opportunities in transition courtesy of turnovers at the point of attack.
The three-man Knicks lineup of McBride, Anunoby and Bridges has a plus-15.7 net rating and holds opponents to 102 points per 100 possessions.
