Sketchy status reports on Knicks' Jalen Brunson and Heat's Jimmy Butler
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) goes to the basket past Miami Heat guard Max Strus (31) in the second half of Game 2 in the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Knicks won 111-105. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
GREENBURGH — While Julius Randle dismissed any talk about his sprained ankle possibly limiting him, there was more uncertainty with Jalen Brunson and Miami’s Jimmy Butler.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson, who has been bothered by what the team has called a sore right ankle, “Jalen didn’t do much today. Day to day.” Brunson played through it in Game 2 and after that game said, “I started feeling weird at the end of the game, Game 1. Didn’t really think anything of it, it was just whatever. And then it got worse over time. And just kind of had to find a way to be mentally tough.”
The Heat have a similarly mysterious status for Butler, who sat out Game 2 after spraining his right ankle with five minutes left in Game 1. By sitting out, Butler has five days off before Saturday’s Game 3 in Miami.
“No update. ... I’m not going to get into all the minutiae of it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters in Miami Thursday. “When we find out how he is feeling on Saturday, we’ll let you know. That’s what the deal is.”
Robinson hustle
The NBA announced Boston's Marcus Smart as the winner of the NBA Hustle Award Thursday and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson ranked fourth — the only center among the top five. The honor rewards players that make the effort plays that don’t often appear in the traditional box score but impact winning on a nightly basis. Hustle stats — including deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box-outs — are tracked by the NBA.
“It’s great,” Thibodeau said. “I’m glad he’s being recognized. Congratulations to Marcus. Great competitor. Mitch, I think continues to grow. I think his rebounding has been a huge factor for our team, the rim protection, anchoring the defense, all those things. So I think it's also a byproduct of the team winning. That's important. That's a big part of that.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
