New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson returned to action Sunday and scored 15 points in a 112-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns after missing the past month with a right ankle sprain.
Brunson, who was cleared for basketball activities before last Wednesday’s loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, then practiced Friday at Georgia Tech ahead of Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. Brunson did not play in Atlanta but was back on the floor at Madison Square Garden against the Suns after missing the last 15 games due to a sprained right ankle.
Brunson was quickly given a significant workload from coach Tom Thibodeau, playing 34 minutes in his return. Brunson was just 3 of 9 from the field, including 1 of 4 from 3-point range, but he did make 8 of 10 from the free-throw line and dished out six assists.
OG Anunoby led the way for the Knicks with 32 points on 13 of 17 from the floor while Mikal Bridges chipped in 22 and Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 13 rebounds.
It was Brunson’s 62nd game of the season and he’s logged 20-plus minutes in all of them. If he remains healthy enough to play for the next week-plus, he should meet the NBA’s 65-game threshold for end-of-season awards.
The Knicks have four games left on the schedule. They will face the Boston at home on Tuesday before a back-to-back — at Detroit and vs. Cleveland — before closing out the season at Brooklyn next Sunday.
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Assuming he reaches the 65-game mark, there should be little doubt that Brunson will make an All-NBA team for a second consecutive season. On the season, he’s averaging 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 35.4 minutes per game, with a 29% usage rate and a 60.6% true shooting percentage.
New York went 9-6 in the stretch without Brunson, and is 50-28 on the season. It is third in the Eastern Conference and has a 3.5-game cushion over the fourth-place Indiana Pacers, even though Indiana has won 11 of its last 14 games entering Sunday.
Brunson is not the only player to rejoin the Knicks’ backcourt rotation. Miles McBride, who hadn’t played since March 20 due to a left groin contusion, returned to the lineup on Sunday and scored eight points in 16 minutes. Cameron Payne returned on Saturday in Atlanta after not playing since March 26 because of a right ankle sprain. He played 21 minutes against the Hawks before logging 14 minutes on Sunday.
With the postseason fast approaching, this is the time to tune up for the postseason for both Brunson and the team.
