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Jalen Brunson Returns From Injury To Lead Comeback Once Again

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Jalen Brunson returned from injury to lead the Knicks to a win.

With 2:52 left in the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, all hope appeared lost for the Knicks’ organization. The heart and soul of the team, Jalen Brunson, had just crumbled to the floor holding his right ankle. Cade Cunningham was dunking the ball to cap a 33-13 run spanning a quarter, giving Detroit a four-point lead. The refs had decided to swallow the whistle and let the players play, regardless of how physical it got. Between Brunson’s injury (which came to the same ankle that recently cost him a month), the waves of Pistons’ physicality, and a raucous home crowd in Detroit, New York was coming apart at the seams. Brunson limped off to the locker room, barely able to walk, and Detroit’s lead ballooned to double-digits early in the fourth. Let’s dive into Brunson’s return and impressive performance.

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Jalen Brunson Returns From Injury to Lead Comeback Once Again

Somehow, as he has done seemingly every time since he arrived in the Big Apple, Brunson made magic happen. Despite falling when he tried to get up from the floor upon injuring his ankle, Brunson emerged from the locker room five game minutes later to re-enter the contest. In the time he was out, his Knicks’ deficit increased from four points to ten in the early fourth quarter. With how New York had been struggling against Detroit’s unending waves of aggressiveness, a double-digit lead seemed insurmountable in a game where the Knicks had mustered just 64 points through 38 minutes.

However, Knicks fans have had this feeling of hopelessness several times before. Down big, with their captain in the locker room, and looking ahead to the next game. Like always, not only did Brunson return to the floor, but he somehow came back better. Impressively, New York would outscore Detroit 30 to 19 over the final 10:14 of the game, with Brunson scoring 15 points on 7-11 from the field. The man who was accused of being a “foul-baiter” posted a line of 32 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds on just two free throw attempts. Karl-Anthony Towns would close out a one-point Knicks win with three incredible jumpers, but Brunson was the reason NY was even in the game.

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An Absolute Bucket-Getter

He scored in every way possible, including side-step threes, footwork layups, floaters, and mid-range jumpers. Brunson’s fourth quarter is a perfect encapsulation of how he overcomes a lack of size and athleticism to be an elite scorer. It was as if Brunson went to the locker room to figure out the Pistons’ physical defense rather than to heal his ankle. Whatever the case, Brunson saved the day for his team once again, sending this series back to Madison Square Garden for a closeout Game 5.

Brunson Has Done This in the Playoffs Before

Returning from what appeared to be a devastating injury isn’t new to Brunson. Last season, in Game 2 of New York’s second-round matchup with Indiana, Brunson left the game with a foot injury. His Knicks fell behind by ten points at halftime. However, Brunson miraculously emerged from the locker room at the start of the second half. He scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half, leading New York to a nine-point victory and a 2-0 series lead. Brunson has played through injury for every single playoff series in his Knicks career, and much of the regular season. He is everything a franchise wants in their star player: he’s a leader on and off the floor, performs in big moments, makes teammates better, and is as durable as it gets.

Undoubtedly, Brunson is an elite player, especially in late-game situations. Brunson rising from the dead in the biggest moments of New York’s seasons is becoming the stuff of legends at the Mecca. His status as an all-time Knick great is already unquestionable. Time will tell how far up the list he can rise.

 

Photo credit: © David Reginek-Imagn Images

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