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Tuesday night was a setback for the Knicks in what has otherwise been a strong playoff run so far.
New York fell 106-103 to the Pistons in Game 5 of the teams' first-round matchup, cutting the Knicks' series advantage to 3-2. New York will now seek to close out the series in Game 6 — but the injury status of arguably the team's biggest star will be worth monitoring.
Jalen Brunson, who opened the series with four consecutive 30-plus-point games, left the floor late vs. Detroit on Tuesday after appearing to tweak his right ankle. Brunson has been dealing with right ankle issues throughout the playoffs thus far and in recent months.
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Here's how Brunson may have injured his ankle in Game 5 against the Pistons, and the latest on his status moving forward.
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Jalen Brunson ankle injury
Before Tuesday's game, Brunson already had a very recent history of right ankle issues. Back in March against the Lakers, he twisted it while driving to the basket, which resulted in him missing around a month of the regular season with a sprained ankle just before the playoffs began.
— TrendingSportsPodcast (@TrendingSportsP) March 7, 2025In Game 4 against Detroit, Brunson had another scare with the same ankle. He dove for a loose ball alongside Dennis Schroder, then remained on the floor in pain with an apparent leg injury.
Jalen Brunson went back to the locker room to be evaluated following a potential lower right leg injury.
Brunson just returned from missing a month of play with a right ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/V07bo3r8Qk
The star guard wound up returning later in Game 4, propelling the Knicks to a comeback win with a barrage of fourth-quarter buckets. He was also good to go for Game 5 despite the initial concern.
However, with New York in a close contest with Detroit on Tuesday, Brunson checked out of the game with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He appeared to tweak the ankle again when he was going to close out on a Cade Cunningham shot, then put pressure on the ankle and jumped up in some pain.
This is like the THIRD time Jalen Brunson has aggravated his right ankle in THIS series
Once an ankle is sprained ligaments are “laxed” and you risks further sprains pic.twitter.com/Al8Khb4JKG
Social media provided a closer look at the injury, where the Knicks' floor at Madison Square Garden appeared to dent in a bit when Brunson's right foot lands, allowing his ankle to twist more:
https://t.co/BdnnunffoY pic.twitter.com/5eAlH1TQyJ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 30, 2025Brunson wound up sitting for most of the final three minutes against the Pistons in Game 5, partially because while he was waiting to check back in, the Knicks didn't call a timeout and there was no stoppage of play.
MORE: Tom Thibodeau explains why he didn't use key timeout vs. Pistons in Game 5
Jalen Brunson injury updates
Brunson did return to Tuesday's game vs. Detroit, checking back in with 27.1 seconds remaining and the final result virtually already sealed. However, that is likely still a good sign for Brunson's status moving forward as the Knicks move on to Game 6.
Postgame, the guard kept his response to a question about his ankle brief, saying he's "all good."
Jalen Brunson says his ankle is "all good" pic.twitter.com/Kp5BGWCjgZ
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 30, 2025Brunson also said it was "tough" to be watching from the scorer's table at the end of Game 5 instead of making an impact on the end of the game.
Jalen Brunson was asked about being stuck at the scorer's table with Josh Hart down the stretch of the game:
"It's tough, but I have the utmost faith, regardless of the result. in my teammates." pic.twitter.com/XDYZ8cM6KU
Based on Brunson's comments about his ankle and his late return to Game 5, the expectation is that he'll be good to go for Game 6 against the Pistons on Thursday. Still, his status will be worth monitoring moving forward.
Jalen Brunson playoff stats
There aren't many proven playoff performers in the league like Brunson, who began the first-round series against Detroit on fire.
Here's a look at Brunson's postseason numbers through his career so far:
| Season | Team | Games | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| 2020-21 | Mavericks | 7 | 16.3 | 8.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 45.5% | 46.2% | 76.9% |
| 2021-22 | Mavericks | 18 | 34.9 | 21.6 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 46.6% | 34.7% | 80.0% |
| 2022-23 | Knicks | 11 | 40.3 | 27.8 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 47.4% | 32.5% | 91.2% |
| 2023-24 | Knicks | 13 | 39.8 | 32.4 | 3.3 | 7.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 44.4% | 31.0% | 77.5% |
| 2024-25 | Knicks | 4 | 40.3 | 33.3 | 4.3 | 8.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 46.0% | 35.5% | 83.3% |
| Career: | 53 | 35.2 | 24.6 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 46.0% | 33.6% | 81.7% |
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