An unfamiliar, deafening silence befell one of the NBA’s most rowdy arenas, and for good reason — the newly crowned King of New York went down.
On a drive to the rim, Jalen Brunson turned his right ankle while guarded by Grizzlies forward G.G. Jackson at the 5:31 mark of the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 123-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Brunson rolled back and forth on the court for several moments then tightened his sneaker and limped to to the sidelines, where a team trainer tended to his injury.
He did not go to the locker room but did not return to the game, either.
An already shorthanded Knicks team staved off a desperate Grizzlies team to advance to a 16-3 record since Jan. 1, but the injuries are piling at Madison Square Garden.
Brunson’s ankle could be potentially devastating for a Knicks team marred by injury in recent weeks.
The Knicks entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Grizzlies short three starters (Mitchell Robinson — ankle surgery; Julius Randle — dislocated shoulder recovery; and OG Anunoby — right elbow inflammation) and a key role player (Quentin Grimes — right knee sprain). If Brunson’s injury proves severe, Donte DiVincenzo will be the only member of the Knicks’ starting rotation who is able to suit up as of Tuesday.
The Knicks, however, struggled to put away a depleted Grizzlies team lacking most of its rotation players on Tuesday night.
The Grizzlies were without virtually every rotation player: Ja Morant (shoulder surgery), Desmond Bane (left ankle sprain), Jaren Jackson Jr. (right hip soreness), Marcus Smart (torn right finger), Brandon Clarke (left Achilles), Santi Aldama (tailbone contusion), Jake LaRavia (left ankle sprain), Xavier Tillman (left knee), and the recently acquired Victor Oladipo (left patella) all sat for the Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks led by 28 points at the 48-second mark of the third quarter, and Brunson was watching from the sidelines until the Grizzlies chipped away at the deficit. Memphis cut the Knicks’ lead to as little as four to make it a 113-109 game at the 2:05 mark of the fourth quarter.
Brunson tallied 26 points and eight assists through the first three quarters and made a technical free throw in the fourth quarter before rolling his ankle. He scored 17 points in the first quarter alone and shot 11-of-21 from the field to go with his three steals on the night.
Donte DiVincenzo scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting, Josh Hart finished with a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds), and both Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa scored 17 points apiece.
Five Grizzlies players scored in double figures, not including former Knicks point guard Derrick Rose, who was showered with applause when he checked in off the bench. Rose finished with seven points and two assists.
If Brunson is forced to miss time, the Knicks will lean on Miles “Deuce” McBride, who has been next up in the guard rotation after the Immanuel Quickley trade,
McBride finished with 12 points and two steals in 32 minutes off the bench on Tuesday. The Knicks will also have to lean more heavily on DiVincenzo, whose usage has spiked with Randle and Anunoby out of the rotation.
