The New York Knicks will hope to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second-series against the Indiana Pacers when the two sides meet in Game 3 Friday. The series has shifted to Indianapolis, which the Pacers are hoping helps even things out after the Knicks won two close games at home. Indiana has also called the officiating into question, so we’ll see if there are any changes there as well.
The Knicks have some injury issues in their starting lineup as both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby are banged up. Brunson suffered a foot injury in Game 2 while also appearing to have tape around has hand, although he did return to the game. Anunoby suffered a hamstring strain late in Game 2 and did not return. Here are the latest updates on both players.
Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby injury updates
Update: Brunson is in and will start. We’ll see how many minutes he actually does play with the Knicks down a few key rotation players but he is in.
Brunson has officially been listed as questionable, but he’s expected to suit up after returning in Game 2 and playing through his injuries. Anunoby has been ruled out and according to Adrian Wojnarowski, he’s unlikely to play in Game 4 as well. That absence creates a lot of problems for New York on the wing, especially since Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson are all sidelined as well.
Alec Burks is likely to step into the rotation in some capacity, although head coach Tom Thibodeau has largely leaned on a seven-man group for the postseason. Burks was considered a big addition at the trade deadline but has been beaten out by Miles McBride for minutes. Both are going to play big roles with Anunoby out. Josh Hart will likely play as the small forward, with Precious Achiuwa set to get the start in the frontcourt alongside Isaiah Hartenstein.