New York’s Game 2 victory at the Madison Square Garden came with a cost this Wednesday night, as the team lost both OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson to injury. However, the star point guard returned at halftime, after he had exited with a right foot issue in the first quarter.
According to teammate Isaiah Hartenstein, he heard the crowd’s roar from the locker room when it was announced that Brunson would return and was seen walking through the tunnel and unto the court. The shouting became so loud that the 27-year-old even told the audience to tone it down so he could concentrate on the game.
However, the MVP chants inspired him to become just that, and stage a comeback to finally beat the Pacers 130 to 121 and take a 2-0 lead in these Eastern Conference playoff series.
Jalen Brunson already has more playoff points for the Knicks than Carmelo Anthony had in 7 seasons 🤯
(h/t @TheStrickland) pic.twitter.com/ibKyhmSyjO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 9, 2024
“It was really cool, but I just knew I had to get my mind in the right place to figure out how I was going to attack in the second half,” Jalen said of being greeted by the fans chants, as he ended up scoring 29 points and handing out 5 assists in 32 minutes of play.
His coach Tom Thibodeau delivered his usual praise. “He’s a great leader, and the players all have respect for that when a guy tries to give whatever he has. It says a lot about him,” said the Knicks tactician. “To me, the actions say a lot more than the words. It says that you care a lot about your team and your teammates.”
Donte DiVincenzo, who also contributed heavily with 28 points to his name, acknowledged how Brunson has inspired the entire team this postseason. “He’s a warrior,” said the former Golden State guard. “There was no doubt in my mind he’d be back.”
However, not all is good news in the Manhattan camp, as the series shift to Indianapolis for Game 3 and 4 this weekend, and they’ve lost OG Anunoby indefinitely. The New York star defender, who even dropped his own playoff career-high 28 points last night, exited the match in the third period with a left hamstring injury.
New York big man Mitchell Robinson also injured his ankle in Game 1 and might not return this season
The Knicks are used to being short-handed all season long now, but ever since Mitchell Robinson came back from his ankle injury, he’s really impacted his team’s game. However, in a surprise turn of events, the big man has fallen again to injury and will most probably miss out on the rest of the playoffs.
During Game 1 against the Pacers, the New York center hurt his left ankle after only 12 minutes on court. His team has announced that he would need to be reevaluated again in six to eight weeks, which means he could return to the latter part of the NBA Finals.
Once the news surfaced online, Mitchell voiced out his frustration in a rather cryptic message in which he vows to take revenge on someone. As drama ensued, fans on social media believe he’s talking about Joel Embiid, who clashed against him many times during his team’s first round elimination.
“This is so f—ked up dawg like I don’t even know what to say,” Robinson posted on X this past Tuesday evening. “This is not over! I WILL SEEK REVENGE.”
