The New York Knicks have been a force not to be trifled with these past few months. Despite losing their All-Star forward Julius Randle to injury, the Knicks still managed to finish the season with the second-best record in the league.
New York defeated the 76ers in the first round and now stands on a commanding 2-0 lead against the Indiana Pacers. But with no Jalen Brunson in the starting lineup, the outcome of Game 3 in this seven-game series is starting to seem bleak to some NY fans.
As per the official injury report of the league, New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson’s status for Game 3 of the series against the Indiana Pacers has been listed as questionable due to soreness in his right foot.
Jalen Brunson has been the catalyst for the New York Knicks offense during the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. As per StatMuse, from averaging 35.5 points per game in the first round, Brunson leaped forward, averaging 36.0 PPG in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Indy.
The 6’2 point guard went off in the series opener against the Pacers, going off for 43 points in Game 1. He followed his 43-point outburst with a 29-point performance in the last game against Indiana.
While there have been other players on the Knicks roster that rose to the occasion, it has been Jalen Brunson who bailed out New York whenever the team needed a bucket to get out of a scoring drought they were in.
However, Brunson’s status for Game 3 of this series casts major doubts over the Knicks’ chances of taking a 3-0 lead. The Indiana Pacers, on the other hand, are being spearheaded by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
While Haliburton may not have any playoff experience under his belt, Pascal Siakam has been a bright spot for the Pacers, who also has ample playoff experience and an NBA championship to his name.
Suppose the Knicks’ training staff does not clear Jalen Brunson in the pre-game evaluation. In that case, it is more than likely that the Indiana Pacers will do everything in their power to exploit New York being shorthanded in the third game of this series.
It’ll be interesting to see who ends up stepping up and taking responsibility on the offensive end of the floor if Brunson does not suit up for the Knicks tonight. Moreover, it’ll be far more exciting to see if this charged-up New York team will be able to defeat Indiana without their leading scorer on the floor.
Tune into ESPN at 7:00 PM ET tonight to see the Indiana Pacers host the New York Knicks for Game 3.
