Jalen Brunson, a guard for the New York Knicks, began Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday evening despite having a sore right foot.
The All-Star player has been scoring an average of 35.6 points per game in the playoffs, leading the Knicks to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brunson got injured late in the first quarter on Wednesday night but returned in the second half and helped the Knicks come back for a 130-122 win.
Brunson is crucial for the Knicks, who are dealing with a severe shortage of players. He scored a total of 72 points and made 12 assists in the first two games against Indiana.
The Knicks had already announced that forward OG Anunoby would not be playing due to an injured left hamstring, and it’s uncertain if he’ll be able to play in Sunday’s Game 4.
Anunoby left Wednesday’s game in the third quarter and didn’t return.
“OG did travel with us,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, mentioning that Anunoby came along partly to keep receiving treatment. “If you get injured during the game, your treatment becomes your game, so you get treated three times a day and just keep working on that.”
New York forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot) and Julius Randle (right shoulder), along with center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle), are sidelined for the rest of the playoffs.
Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton started Game 3 for the Pacers. He had been listed as questionable with back spasms.
