With the NBA playoffs quickly approaching, Knicks fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
Jalen Brunson is expected to make his long-awaited return to the court Sunday when New York takes on the Phoenix Suns at The Garden barring any setbacks, SNY’s Ian Begley confirms.
The news of Brunson’s return was first reported by Chris Haynes.
The Knicks guard was going through his usual pregame on-court workout on the floor before Saturday’s tip against the Hawks in Atlanta but was ruled out for the game.
Brunson has been out with a right ankle sprain since he sustained the injury on March 6 against the Lakers.
When Brunson returns Sunday, he’ll have five games left before the end of the regular season. He needs to play in four for postseason awards and with one more back-to-back on the schedule, the All-Star point guard is likely to miss one more game before the start of the playoffs.
SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley noted on April 2 that Brunson returning to action this weekend was a realistic option.
Over 35.4 minutes of action across 61 games this season, Brunson is averaging 26.3 points, 7.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.
New York was 40-22 when the star guard went down and have gone 8-6 without him, as they remain the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Knicks (48-28) are up three games on the Indiana Pacers (45-31) with five games remaining in the regular season. The Milwaukee Bucks (42-34) and the Detroit Pistons (42-34) are currently slotted as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, as the Knicks would take on Cade Cunningham and Detroit in the first round.
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