The Knicks ruled out both All-Star guard Jalen Brunson and starting forward Josh Hart for Saturday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns, sidelining two of their most important players with right ankle ailments.
Head coach Mike Brown labeled both starters day-to-day. Brunson missed his second consecutive game after sustaining a right ankle sprain early in Wednesday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings. Brown said there is no long-term concern with the injury, noting Brunson was upgraded to questionable before ultimately being ruled out ahead of tipoff.
Hart’s absence, meanwhile, was more precautionary than reactive.
“He’s just a little sore,” Brown said. “So we’re just going to be cautious, especially this time of year.”
Hart played both legs of the Knicks’ Wednesday–Thursday back-to-back just days after returning from a two-and-a-half-week absence caused by a significant right ankle sprain suffered in the Christmas Day victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brown was asked about his experience coaching Karl-Anthony Towns in his first season at the helm in New York.
“You know KAT’s a great player, and I’ll tell you he can do a lot of great things on the floor,” Brown said. “He rebounds with some of the best of ’em, especially for a guy that quote-unquote isn’t as athletic as some of the better rebounders of the past. He just has a knack for the ball.
“So my whole thing with him is: stay aggressive offensively. I’m gonna keep trying to help you out. I’m gonna keep trying to find ways to help you get good looks, touch the ball and make plays. And keep doing your part defensively. When you have an opportunity to score, go score it. When you don’t, go rebound it. It’s as simple as that.”
Towns entered Saturday’s game averaging 20.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point range. It marks his lowest scoring average since 2023 and puts him near the least efficient shooting stretch of his career.
Brown also outlined three primary areas of concern for a Knicks defense that has slipped to second-to-last in the NBA over the past nine games, ranking ahead of only the Utah Jazz during that span.
“I thought Golden State got to the paint too much. Got middle too much. We gave up too many middle drives,” Brown said. “When you give up the middle, it’s hard to help.
“In transition, we were a little better, but guarding the ball — especially in transition — is big for us. And then just finishing plays. Those three things are big. Our closeouts have to be a little bit better, too.”
Over their last nine games, the Knicks are allowing 121.7 points per 100 possessions and own a minus-7.7 net rating, a stretch that has underscored the urgency behind Brown’s emphasis on ball containment, transition defense and effort plays.
