Thud
On top of a dispiriting loss, the Knicks now have a major injury to worry about.
Good morning. Are we sure they fired Thibs as the coach?
Game 11: Magic 124, Knicks 107
As if the game itself wasn’t bad enough, the Knicks best player may now be on the shelf for a while.
With the final trail of exhaust fumes of a failed fourth quarter comeback rising up to the Garden rafters, Desmond Bane hit a 3-pointer to give the Magic a 115-99 lead with 2:03 remaining. It was the final nail in the coffin on a game that was D.O.A. in many respects, even if the Knicks never fully let go of the rope. Watching live on Playback with Benjy and DJ, the three of us uniformly called for someone to commit a foul to get the starters out of the game after the Bane three, especially with Jalen Brunson already at 37 grueling minutes against a physical defense that had beat the crap out of him from the opening tip.
The foul never came. Instead, Brunson drove the lane and his right foot came down on Wendell Carter Jr’s sneaker. His ankle turned a full 90 degrees before he fell to the ground. Brunson popped up after a few seconds and shot the free throws before gingerly walking off the court to the locker room, where he remained for the rest of the game.
After not speaking to the media, James Edwards III reported that Brunson left the arena in a walking boot and crutches. While we still don’t know the severity of the injury and Brunson has displayed a near superhuman ability to withstand one malady after another and bounce back better than before, this certainly throws a potential monkey wrench into New York’s early season plans.
For the reason why, we have to turn to the game itself, which was perhaps the most discouraging loss of the season even putting aside what happened to Brunson in the final minute.
