Jalen Brunson leaves Thursday’s game vs. Kings due to left foot soreness
That wasn’t a good start to the West Coast road trip.
Jalen Brunson left Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings due to left foot soreness, the team said. Brunson started the game but didn’t return after limping into the locker room during halftime. The guard finished with 19 points, two assists and two rebounds after playing 19 minutes in the first half.
Brunson missed the previous two games — Tuesday’s loss to the Hornets and Sunday’s double overtime thriller against the Celtics in Boston — due to the same foot injury. Immanuel Quickley got the start in the previous two matchups and started the second half for the Knicks on Thursday night as well.
The lefty guard was the lone bright spot for the Knicks during the first half against the Kings, who entered Thursday tied for the second seed in the Western Conference. The Knicks shot 38.6% from the field and 23.3% from 3-point range in the first half as they entered halftime down 16.
Brunson’s All-Star teammate, Julius Randle, wasn’t much help in the first half, shooting 2-for-7 from the field for seven points. The forward also didn’t provide much resistance on the defensive end, getting exposed by the NBA’s highest scoring offense.
The Kings entered Thursday averaging 121.1 points per game.
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