New York Knicks coach Mike Brown is taking some heat after guard Jalen Brunson suffered an injury playing during a lopsided loss on Wednesday.
Brunson hurt his ankle with just under two minutes to go in a 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The Knicks were trailing 115-99 when Brunson got hurt, making a late comeback highly unlikely.
That led some to question why Brown left his star player in for what amounted to garbage time. On Friday, the coach was defiant, saying he was trying to win the game.
Mike Brown says he left Jalen Brunson in the game Wednesday because he was trying to win.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) November 14, 2025
The coach said he isn’t sure if Brunson will travel on road trip.
The Knicks had narrowed the deficit to 9 with six minutes left, but quickly went on a 7-2 run to effectively put the game out of reach again. At that point, Brown might have been better off sitting Brunson and taking the loss.
Brunson suffered a Grade 1 sprain and will be evaluated daily moving forward. The injury bears watching because it is to the same ankle that hobbled the star guard for a good portion of last season.
