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The Knicks are going to be without Jalen Brunson on Friday against the Clippers.
Brunson was ruled out after suffering his ankle injury Thursday night in the 113-109 overtime loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles, according to The Post’s Stefan Bondy — and it’ll mark his second missed game of the season, along with the Knicks’ Jan. 1 loss to the Jazz.
His initial X-rays Thursday came back negative, and it’s believed that he underwent further tests Friday.
The Knicks (40-22) face the Clippers on Friday night in the second game of a back-to-back set at Crypto.com Arena.
“Obviously it’s a bummer of an injury. We’ve got to expect him to be out for a little bit,” Josh Hart said Thursday. “We’ve got guys. Now we have to step up. Other guys’ roles are going to be bigger. There’s more opportunity. Keep it afloat until he comes back, be aggressive, go out there and compete.”
Brunson suffered his injury in overtime while driving to the hoop when he landed awkwardly, with his right ankle turning at an unusual angle.
He stayed in the game to hit two free throws which tied the game at 107-107 with 1:24 remaining in overtime before exiting the court.
Losing Brunson for any stretch is a tough blow for the Knicks since the All-Star guard is averaging a team-best 26.1 points, 7.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Brunson carried the load offensively down the stretch in the fourth quarter and in overtime Thursday while the teams traded buckets, and the Knicks are heavily reliant on his excellence.
Miles McBride will likely receive a bump in playing time with Brunson sidelined and he’s averaging 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
More will be expected to Karl-Anthony Towns along with the inconsistent Mikal Bridges, who had just six points and disappeared late in the loss to the Lakers.
Friday’s game also marks second contest of this five-game West Coast trip, with upcoming games against the Kings on March 10, the Trail Blazers on March 12 and the Warriors on March 15.
The Knicks are 3 ½ games ahead of the Bucks for the No. 3 seed in the East, but are now 4 ½ games behind the Celtics for the No. 2 seed.
