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The playoffs one year ago were a war of attrition for the Knicks, and one they ultimately could not survive as one lineup regular after another went down with injuries before a second-round elimination by the Pacers.
This physical first-round series against the Pistons has been taking a toll on the Knicks’ health, as well.
Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson were forced to the bench with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and Tom Thibodeau declined to use his final timeout to get them back into the game until the closing seconds.
The duo reported back to the scorer’s table just past the 2-minute mark, but Brunson and Hart didn’t get back onto the court until 27.1 seconds remained in a 106-103 loss to the Pistons in Game 5 on Thursday at MSG.
For Brunson, it marked the fourth time in the series that he hobbled off the court after also missing nearly all of March with a badly sprained ankle.
Hart apparently injured a wrist when he fell to the floor following a Jalen Duren dunk with 3:09 to go.
“I’m all good,” Brunson said in what has become a typical response for him, before also insisting at the end of the interview that he is “fine.”
Thibodeau also used his standard answer that he hadn’t “talked to medical yet,” but he noted that Brunson, Hart and at some point OG Anunoby all “had to go out” of the game.
A banged-up Jalen Brunson looks to get back into the game in the closing minutes of the Knicks’ 106-103 Game 5 loss to the Pistons on April 29, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York PostCam Payne and Miles McBride replaced Brunson and Hart with the Knicks trailing 97-95 with 2:57 to go.
Payne missed his lone shot during that stint before the starters returned, and McBride later missed two free throws (the second intentionally) with the Knicks down by three with 2.1 ticks on the clock. /
“It’s tough, but I have the utmost faith, regardless of the result, in my teammates, whoever is out there. Trust, faith, belief all of that. I’ll always have that with my teammates,” said Brunson, who finished with just 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting in 36 minutes. “Personally, I didn’t make good decisions. The ball wasn’t going in the hoop for me. I gotta control things I can control and go from there.”
Josh Hart battled a sore wrist in the closing minutes of the Knicks’ Game 5 loss to the Pistons. Jason Szenes / New York PostThe Knicks already were without since-traded Julius Randle to open last year’s playoffs, before Mitchell Robinson and Anunoby also missed games against the Sixers and/or the Pacers.
Hart also played through an injured hip in the latter series, while Brunson suffered a broken hand in a Game 7 elimination loss to the Pacers.
The Knicks are getting banged up all over again.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs
- Knicks fail to close out Pistons in painful Game 5 loss at MSG
- Knicks’ Game 5 report card: Tom Thibodeau gets an F
- Knicks’ heroes, zeros of Game 5: Guard comes up short again
- These Knicks just can’t do anything the easy way
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“I just needed to regroup, walk it off and try to go back in,” said Hart, who then added this when asked “which wrist” is bothering him: “My whole body is bothering me. Wrist, back, butt. A little bit of everything.”
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