The New York Knicks are facing a tough stretch, and it just got a little tougher. After a disappointing loss to the Sacramento Kings, they’ll now be without Jalen Brunson as they take on the Golden State Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back.
Brunson exited early in the Kings game with a right ankle sprain and has already been ruled out for tonight’s matchup, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. He’s listed as day-to-day.
That’s a sigh of relief in one sense - day-to-day suggests the injury isn’t too severe - but it’s still a blow for a Knicks team that leans heavily on Brunson’s leadership and scoring. The point guard has been the engine of New York’s offense all season, averaging 28.2 points per game and consistently delivering in clutch moments.
When the Knicks need a bucket, they turn to Brunson. When it’s time to close, he’s the one with the ball in his hands.
So yeah, his absence matters - a lot.
The good news for New York is that they’ve built a roster with some guard depth and solid complementary pieces. That depth will be tested now.
Guys like Immanuel Quickley and Donte DiVincenzo may need to shoulder more of the load, especially in terms of ball-handling and shot creation. The Knicks have been hanging near the top of the Eastern Conference for most of the season, and maintaining that position without their floor general - even for a few games - will take a collective effort.
Brunson has been relatively durable this season, and the Knicks have benefited from that consistency. But against Sacramento, his absence was felt - and not just in the box score.
The Knicks looked flat, unprepared, and out of sync. Head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t sugarcoat it, and neither did Kings head coach Mike Brown, who called out the Knicks’ lack of execution postgame.
“This is one of the worst, if not the worst, I’ve seen us play the entire year in terms of following a game plan,” Brown said. “Gotta give the Kings credit… We were out there going through the motions. You go through the motions in this league, you're gonna get your behind kicked.”
That’s exactly what happened. The Knicks got punched in the mouth early and never really responded. Now, with a quick turnaround and a date with Steph Curry and the Warriors, the challenge only gets steeper.
The hope, of course, is that Brunson’s ankle responds well and he’s not sidelined for long. But in the meantime, the Knicks will need to regroup - fast.
Energy, focus, and execution have to be sharper, especially without their star point guard on the floor. This is one of those stretches that can test a team’s resilience.
Let’s see how the Knicks respond.