Jalen Brunson Plays Coy About Knicks Injury Scare

Whatever New York Knicks point guard endured on Sunday, his sense of humor was left perfectly in tact.

Brunson stepped away from the Madison Square Garden floor during the third quarter of the weekend-closing game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an apparent injury scare but returned in style to cap off a 44-point outing in just 29 minutes en route to a 140-106 triumph. It's the most any Knick has scored in a single-game showing of 30 minutes or less, breaking a lasting record previously held by Patrick Ewing.

Asked if he'd be able to stage an encore on Monday against Detroit (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG), Brunson quopped “I guess you’ll have to find out when the injury report comes out.” (h/t Ben Krimmel of SNY).

Brunson guided the Knicks (26-14) to a landmark victory: not only was it a pleasant interruption in a stretch where they had lost four of their previous five but New York posted its largest margin of victory against a legitimate Eastern contender like Milwaukee.

The Knicks' captain set the tone early, scoring 23 points in the opening period alone. He had 32 at the time of his departure in the third quarter, which saw him endure some apparent shoulder pain while driving against Bucks defender AJ Green. Amidst an expanding Knicks lead, panic began to settle in at The Garden as Brunson retreated to the New York locker room.

But Brunson emerged from the access tunnel before the third quarter let out, drawing massive cheers from the Manhattan faithful. He put in a dozen more points before head coach Tom Thibodeau began gradually emptying his bench and the Knicks fans gathered serenaded Brunson with chants of "MVP" every time he touched the ball and as he exited.

If not for his eternally stoic nature, Thibodeau may have been one of those vocalizing, but managed to do so anyway in his own postgame comments.

“I think it’s inspiring. A great leader unites and inspires," Thibodeau said of his captain, per Krimmel. “He's such a self-made guy. His talent speaks for itself, you can’t do those things without great talent, but to also have the humility that he has ... he just wants to win. That’s the most important [thing]. If Jalen scores two points and we win, he’s as happy as if he scores 44 and we win."

Brunson's scoring output proved historic in more ways than one: not only did he pass Ewing for accomplishments in brevity but he also tied Carmelo Anthony for the third-most 40-point games in a Knick uniform (17).

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