Less than an hour after his first game in a month, Jalen Brunson said he never found a rhythm Sunday.
Brunson finished with 15 points and six assists in 34 minutes in the Knicks’ 112-98 win over the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden, but he shot 3-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-4 on 3-point attempts.
Still, Brunson’s return after a 15-game absence for a right ankle sprain was a welcome sight for the Knicks.
“Could be better, could be worse,” Brunson said of his performance. “A lot of room for improvement on my end, obviously, but I’m surprised at the conditioning part. I thought that would be a lot worse.”
Brunson had not played since March 6, when he rolled his ankle as he landed awkwardly on a lay-up attempt during the overtime period of a road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following Sunday’s return, Brunson said he felt “great,” though he acknowledged there’s a mental component to him regaining his All-Star form, too.
“Timing is a part of it. That will come back,” Brunson said.
“Everyone always talks about the physical part, about how you’re feeling and whatever, but mentally, it’s just trusting … your movements, trusting the way you play and everything, and not second-guessing yourself. That was the biggest adjustment, but I’m feeling a lot better.”
Brunson, 28, finished the first half with five points on 1-of-3 shooting, with the lone basket coming on a transition runner over Bradley Beal.
Early in the third quarter, Brunson converted a three-point play when he made a floater through contact from Royce O’Neal.
Brunson’s final basket came with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, when he drilled a 3-pointer that put the Knicks up by 10, effectively serving as the dagger.
He finished 8-for-10 from the free-throw line.
“Usually what happens when a guy comes back, he sort of has to get a feel for the game again, and then usually there’s a play or two where he’ll be tested a little bit,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“Once he realizes he’s good, he takes off. I thought the whole second half, there was a different gear for him.”
The Knicks (50-28) went 9-6 without Brunson, who leads the team with 26.1 points and 7.4 assists per game. They ramped up their defensive efficiency without him, helping them overcome a scoring dip in his absence.
OG Anunoby, who averaged 23.2 points in the games Brunson missed, scored a team-high 32 on Sunday.
Brunson eased back into action early. The point guard typically plays the entire first quarter of games, but he subbed out with 3:04 left in the opening period Sunday and did not return until there was 6:10 remaining before halftime.
He played the full third quarter and all but 4:39 of the fourth.
“If there’s fatigue, he’ll tell us,” Thibodeau said. ...
