Knicks' Jalen Brunson still out, but for how long?
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, wearing street clothes and not playing because of a sore left foot, looks on from the bench in the first half of an NBA game against the Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LOS ANGELES — Jalen Brunson was held out Saturday with what the team called a sore left foot and what Tom Thibodeau described as a bruise. But what no one seems willing to talk about is just how long the Knicks could be without their valuable point guard.
Thibodeau said Brunson had X-rays taken that were negative, but he remained vague on when he will play. After missing two games with the injury, Brunson returned Thursday in Sacramento and scored 19 points in 19:25 in the first half before being ruled out for the second half.
“He got a little better, but he’s out tonight, just day-to-day,” Thibodeau said before the game. “He had X-rays and they were negative. We just wanted to make sure.”
Thibodeau said the injury is not the same as Quentin Grimes’ early-season problems, although both were called a sore foot in the injury reports.
“When he’s healthy enough, he goes,” Thibodeau said. “So just, you know, do the rehab, talk to the medical people. When he gets cleared, he’s cleared and he’ll play.”
“He’s been there for us, he’s our floor general,” RJ Barrett said. “Definitely miss having him on the floor, but that was that and we got to figure it out and figure out how to get these wins. Every game is intense from start to finish. We will figure it out somehow.”
Big boards
Josh Hart tied the franchise record for offensive rebounds by a guard Thursday in Sacramento with eight, matching Micheal Ray Richardson and Ernie Grunfeld. “I’ve always said I try to bring whatever I can to help the team,” Hart said. “Do a little bit of everything, get us second-chance points, second- chance possessions, those kind of things are great. That’s just my style of playing. Sometimes it’s the luck of the bounce. It’s kind of how I play.”
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.
