Knicks’ Jalen Brunson clearly not right despite refusal to make excuse

INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson insists he is “fine,” but the All-Star point guard certainly didn’t appear to have his usual burst Sunday — and left several shots short — despite not appearing on the Knicks’ official injury report for Game 5. 

Brunson had played six quarters through a right foot injury suffered in the first half of Game 2, but he missed 11 of 17 shot attempts and scored a 2024 playoff-low 18 points in 31 minutes in the Pacers’ series-tying annihilation of the Knicks in Game 4. 

“It’s a feel thing, and it’s also not overthinking. Sometimes, the ball goes in. Sometimes, it doesn’t,” Brunson said. “There have been plenty of games where I started the game terribly and finished the game shooting 50 percent. There have been games where I started the game 100 percent and finished below 50 percent. 

“The game is basketball. Just gotta do things that are — you just don’t know, that are unexpected. Yeah, the ball just didn’t go in.” 

It fully appeared to be more than that, however, as Brunson was unable to get the usual separation on his shot, while leaving seven of his 11 missed attempts off the front of the rim. 

Brunson, who came in averaging 34.6 points per game in his first nine playoff appearances this spring, shot 16 of 43 from the floor and 2 of 11 from 3-point range in the two road losses, including all five misses from deep in Sunday’ game.