Jalen Brunson returns to Knicks lineup after missing two games with calf contusion
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after sinking a three-point basket against the Rockets in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau got the birthday present he was hoping for on Wednesday night when Jalen Brunson returned to the lineup against Houston at the Garden after missing two games with a left calf contusion.
Brunson had been listed as questionable, but went through a morning shootaround and pregame warmups and was ready to go.
The cherry on the top of Thibodeau’s 66th birthday cake was that Josh Hart — who was also questionable with a sore left knee — was the first Knick off the bench against the Rockets with 5:23 left in the first quarter.
Brunson came into Wednesday’s game averaging 25.8 points, 6.4 assists and 35.7 minutes — all team highs.
The Knicks split the two games that Brunson missed. They won at Memphis, 106-94, and lost at home to Orlando, 98-94.
Miles McBride started both games in Brunson’s spot. McBride scored 19 and had five assists at Memphis and led the Knicks in scoring with 20 points against the Magic.
Julius Randle had an off-day on Monday against Orlando, scoring 15 points on 5-for-18 from the field, and the Knicks blew a seven-point lead in the final 7:38 of the fourth quarter.
On Wednesday, Thibodeau called the loss to the Magic “a choppy game . . . overall, I think we've been playing really good basketball. We’re shorthanded. And now hopefully we get everyone back, but the challenges don't go away. They keep coming.”
The Rockets came in at 19-20 under first-year (for them) coach Ime Udoka, the former Celtics coach. Houston on Wednesday was playing in the final game of a six-game road trip. The Rockets had lost four of the first five.
The Knicks host Washington on Thursday, so it will be interesting to see how Brunson and Hart bounce back for the back-to-back.
Brunson seemed to be moving without restriction on Wednesday as he played the first 8:22 of the game before taking a seat with six points on a pair of three-pointers.
Just before he departed, Brunson almost had two more points when he drove to the hoop for an acrobatic scoop shot that got the Garden crowd on its feet. Unfortunately, the ball rimmed out. But as a clue to how Brunson was feeling, it was a good sign for the Knicks.
Not a good sign? That the Knicks trailed 25-23 after one quarter.
But with every starter other than OG Anunoby on the bench, the Knicks scored the first seven points of the second quarter to take a 30-25 lead.
Brunson returned with 8:47 left in the first half and immediately hit a running floater for his first successful two-point attempt of the evening.
The halftime score was Knicks 48, Rockets 46.
How important is Brunson to the Knicks? There are probably analytics that can measure that. Or you can just watch the games.
Last March, Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley called Brunson “arguably one of the best free agent pickups in NBA history . . . We didn’t know Jalen Brunson was this good of a player — nobody thought that.”
Barkley doubled down recently during a discussion of whether Brunson will make the NBA All-Star Game this season. It will be played on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.
“Jalen Brunson better make the All-Star team,” Barkley said, “or I’m not going to Indianapolis. I’m telling you, if Jalen Brunson is not an All-Star, I am not going.”
The Knicks are exhorting their fans at the arena and on social media to vote for Brunson and Randle.
Notes & quotes: Thibodeau opened his pregame news conference by honoring Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died Wednesday in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack the day before. “I just want to express our heartfelt condolences to Dejan Milojevic’s family and Golden State . . . Tragic loss. He was a great ambassador to the game. So our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them.” . . . Thibodeau said center Mitchell Robinson, who underwent ankle surgery on Dec. 12 and may return this season, is “doing well overall,” although he declined to go into specifics. “He’s just following the [rehab] protocol at every step,” Thibodeau said. “He's meeting the goals and he's doing well, so we're very pleased with that. And then hopefully, soon he'll be able to do more and you'll see him more.” . . . Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire attended Wednesday’s game.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
