That was not a good start to the West Coast road trip.
Jalen Brunson left Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings with soreness in his left foot, the team said. Brunson started the game but did not return after limping into the locker room during halftime. The point 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 thrilling double-overtime game against the Celtics in Boston — with the same foot injury. Immanuel Quickley started the previous two meetings and also started the second half for the Knicks on Thursday night.
( The Knicks hope to continue to dominate the road, maintain a top-5 playoff spot during the West Coast trip )
The left-handed guard was the Knicks’ only bright spot during the first half against the Kings, who entered tied for second in the Western Conference on Thursday. The Knicks shot 38.6% from the field and 23.3% from 3-point range in the first half as they entered halftime trailing by 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 didn’t offer much resistance on the defensive end either, leaving himself exposed by the highest-scoring offense in the NBA.
The Kings came in Thursday averaging 121.1 points per game.
