New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson sprained his right ankle in the opening quarter of Wednesday night’s 112-101 defeat to the Sacramento Kings and did not return, the team announced.
Brunson appeared to roll the ankle on a pass, limped off the floor with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter and was listed as questionable before being ruled out at halftime. He finished with four points in five minutes.
The Knicks provided no postgame update. Brunson left Golden 1 Center without a walking boot or a noticeable limp and did not speak with reporters.
“This was one of the worst, if not the worst, games we’ve played the entire year,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said after Brunson’s exit. “We didn’t respond. We didn’t respond at all.”
Brunson missed two games in mid-November with a right ankle sprain suffered against the Orlando Magic. Last season, he sat out nearly a month after spraining the same ankle against the Los Angeles Lakers in March and dealt with multiple foot tweaks during New York’s run to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks had just started to get healthier during a demanding stretch that has included five road games in their past six outings. Forward Josh Hart returned Wednesday after sitting out eight contests with an ankle sprain sustained on Christmas Day. New York went 3-5 without Hart and remains second in the Eastern Conference at 25-15.
The Knicks continue their West Coast trip Friday night against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.
Source: ESPN
