Is Jalen Brunson Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Pacers vs. Knicks)

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has only missed five games in the 2025-26 season, but he is listed on the team's injury report ahead of Tuesday night's matchup with the Indiana Pacers.

Brunson is listed as questionable with a cervical strain on his right side and right ankle injury management. A couple of ankle injuries cost Brunson a few games earlier in the 2025-26 season.

Jalen Brunson is QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow’s game against the Pacers with right ankle injury management and a cervical strain on his right side.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) March 16, 2026

Even though the All-Star guard is questionable, the Knicks are favored by 16.5 points in the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pacers have lost 13 games in a row, including a nine-point loss at home against the Knicks on Friday.

However, this line would likely move towards Indiana if Brunson is unable to play on Tuesday night. The Knicks are just 1-4 in the five games that the star guard has missed, and they've already lost a game to the Pacers in the 2025-26 season.

This season, Brunson is averaging 26.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from 3. There's a chance the Knicks want to hold Brunson out of this game to give him an extended rest with the playoffs approaching.

New York should be able to handle Indiana without the star guard, and the Knicks don't play again until Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. So, Brunson could get four days off in a row if he ends up sitting on Tuesday.

With the star guard's status up in the air, I'm eyeing another Knick in the player prop market on Tuesday.

Best Knicks Prop Bet vs. Pacers

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 11.5 Rebounds (-129)

Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns has played in just one of the Knicks’ three games against the Pacers this season, but he grabbed 14 boards in that matchup.

One of the league’s top rebounders, Towns is averaging 11.9 boards on 19.1 rebound chances per game in the 2025-26 season. The star big man has picked up at least 12 boards in all but one game in March.

The Pacers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, ranking 29th in the league in rebound percentage and 29th in opponent rebounds per game. Even with Ivica Zubac (questionable) potentially in action on Tuesday night, I think Towns is a great bet to come near his season average in this matchup.

Towns averaged 12.8 rebounds per game last season, and he’s picked up 12 or more rebounds in over half of his games in the 2025-26 campaign (36 of 64).

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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