New York Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson returned to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series vs. the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday after injuring his foot early in the contest, but the Knicks lost another key player.
Still, they were able to find a way to win 130-121.
Brunson exited the game with 3:32 remaining in the first quarter as the Knicks led the Pacers 24-17. He immediately called for a sub after tweaking his foot under the basket alongside Pacers center Myles Turner. Brunson had five first-quarter points (2-of-2 FG, 1-of-1 3PT) before his early exit and was absent the entire second quarter. He was listed as questionable with a sore right foot, but returned to start the third quarter.
The Knicks were up seven against the Pacers when Brunson exited. New York was then outscored 56-39 by Indiana with Brunson off the floor to take a 10-point halftime lead at Madison Square Garden, 73-63. Brunson returned after halftime, though, and the Knicks responded by outscoring the Pacers 36-18 in the third quarter to take a 99-91 lead.
But the Knicks were dealt another blow. Forward OG Anunoby grabbed at his left hamstring after driving to the cup with 4:02 remaining in the third. He hobbled off the court and went directly back to the locker room. Anunoby had a team-high 28 points, four rebounds and three assists when he exited.
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Anunoby was later ruled out of the contest with a sore left hamstring.
“Next man needs to step up and get it done,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on the TNT broadcast at the start of the fourth quarter.
Despite being shorthanded, the Knicks were able to hold off the Pacers to win and take a 2-0 lead in the Round 2 series. Brunson finished the game with 29 points — 24 in the second half — five assists, three steals and two rebounds. Donte DiVincenzo added 28 points (10-of-20 FG, 6-of-12 3PT) and Josh Hart, who played the entire game, had a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
‘I’m just happy I did (return). … We found a way, that’s it,’ Brunson said postgame. When asked if he will be ready to go for Game 3 in Indiana, Brunson gave an unclear answer: ‘I’ll try to be.’
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was ejected with 33.2 seconds remaining in the game after getting in the face of an official. Tyrese Haliburton had a team-high 34 points. Obi Toppin had 20 points and three rebounds off the bench.
The injuries are the latest for the shorthanded Knicks. New York is already without All-Star forward Julius Randle after he had season-ending surgery in April to repair his dislocated right shoulder. Forward Bojan Bogdanovic underwent season-ending surgery last week to repair wrist and ankle injuries and center Mitchell Robinson was effectively ruled out for the remainder of the postseason Tuesday with a stress injury to his left ankle.
The Knicks’ starters have been playing a lot of minutes in the postseason as a result. Brunson is averaging a league-high 36.6 points and 43.7 minutes per game through seven games in the 2024 NBA playoffs. Anunoby, who was traded to the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors in December, is averaging 14.7 points and 41.7 minutes per game this postseason.