The New York Knicks are 63-73 at halftime against the Indiana Pacers. After putting together a string of 40-point games, Jalen Brunson has 5 points on 2-2 shooting during the Knicks’ attempt to mark a comeback. The contrasting scoring night comes from a potential injury, rather than an off night. Without making much noise about it, Jalen Brunson gave went through a scare in the initial quarter and took an early exit from the court.

After the Pacers managed to score on a play, Brunson, who opened the night by being in the line of Indiana’s physicality, immediately gestured to the bench to put him out of the game.

As the live television missed Brunson’s interview, it took some time for the fans to notice his absence on the court. As the fans peeked around, they couldn’t find Jalen Brunson anywhere near his team’s bench, while also noticing that assistant coach Rick, Jalen’s father, was absent from the sidelines as well.

Brunson was soon reported to be in the locker room, with an uncertainty hovering over his Game 2 return. However, there was more to the mystery.

The reason behind Brunson’s premature exit was clear. While many sources cited a potential hand injury, many claimed that the guard saw a collision with Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard, rendering a knee issue (something he faced in the opening minutes against Cleveland months ago).

The uninformed exit and smoke on Jalen Brunson’s situation marked a tiring situation for Knicks fans.. All this, while the the crew battled a motivated Pacers, who wanted to climb back from a disappointing Game 1 loss. Luckily, there was a pleasant sight as soon the the third quarter neared.

Jalen Brunson returned to the court

As Chris Haynes reported that Brunson faces a questionable tag for the night, the Knicks guard was seen with the team after the half-time buzzer. Moreover, he was warming up with the team, hoping to mark his return for the latter stretches.

Giving a perfect glimpse of his impact on the game, Brunson erupted for a quick 10 points before heading to the fourth. He saw the net on 4 of his 6 shots, while connecting on three and garnering multiple steals.

As Brunson’s absence forced the NY crew to be conscious of the game’s momentum, they complimented Brunson’s comeback. The Knicks held the Pacers to just 18 points in the third, giving them a 8-point lead at the end of the third quarter. However, after Brunson successfully squeezes himself into the rotation, OG Anunoby, their highest-scorer of the game so far (28 points), heads back to the locker room, hinting a left hamstring issue.