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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks goes to the basket as Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat defends in the first half at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2025 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
The Knicks, winners of 11 of their last 13 games, were never big fans of the game they will play on Tuesday night, a one-day road trip that takes them to Minnesota two days before they will take their usual spot as the noon game on Christmas Day, against the Cavaliers. As if in protest, the Knicks have determined that star guard Jalen Brunson will not play.
According to the NBA’s injury report, the reason for the absence: “Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Right Ankle Injury Management.”
This will mark just the third game of the season that Brunson will miss, after he sat out two games against the Heat with an ankle sprain in mid-November. Brunson is 29th in the NBA in minutes played, at 916, and 12th in minutes per game at 35.2. The Knicks have focused on trying to limit his minutes this season, but that hasn’t always gone according to plan.
Knicks Have Jalen Brunson Minutes at 35.2
Brunson’s averaged 35.3 minutes in his tenure with the Knicks, and the team has only shaved 0.1 minutes off his average this season. The Knicks are also resting star wing OG Anunoby on Tuesday. But they remain concerned about the load they are asking Brunson to carry this season.
Brunson, for his part, is fine with staying on the floor as long as possible.
“I want to play,” Brunson said Sunday. “But if Mike (Brown) wants to do something, then obviously, we’ll talk about it. I have utmost faith and confidence in him. But obviously, when I’m out there, I want to play.”
Knicks’ Mike Brown Impressed by Effort
It’s a tough balance for Brown because he knows how Brunson can impact the Knicks’ winning, when he is hot with his shot and even when he is not. Brunson had 47 points on Sunday and is averaging 32.3 points–with 51.4% shooting and 41.3% 3-point shooting–in his last five games.
Brown is appreciative.
“When you talk about MVPs especially, but All-Stars as well, you have to find a way to impact the game. And, sometimes, your shot’s not going in,” Brown said.
“You know, so, how else can you do it? Well, you could try to do it defensively, you could try to do it rebounding offensively, rebounding defensively, running the floor to see if you can get an easy one. Jalen’s constantly trying to do those things. He’s trying to touch the paint and spray it. You can see, if he doesn’t get the outlet, he’s putting his head down and he’s trying to get to the corner. And when you’re that type of player, just trying to constantly find different ways to impact the game, especially offensively when you can score like you can, it’s huge.”
That’s been what Brown has seen consistently from Brunson in this Knicks season thus far.
“He’s been doing that night in and night out. Because you’re not always going to shoot over 50% from the floor and 50% from the 3-point line,” Brown said.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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