When the going gets tough, the injured get healthy—or something like that.
The NBA playoffs are just weeks away, and the New York Knicks cannot wait to welcome back their best player to the hardwood. Fortunately, that wait is seemingly over.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson will suit up for Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns on April 6.
Brunson was in the middle of a third-consecutive career season before suffering an ankle sprain against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6. He’s averaging 26.3 points and a career-high 7.4 assists per game in 2024-2025.
For the Knicks, 14 games sans their best player has looked the part. New York is 8-6 without Brunson, and five of those six losses were by 10 or more points.
Elsewhere on the roster, backup point guard Cameron Payne is back and healthy. He is available for Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. Payne previously missed four-straight games with an ankle sprain of his own.
Sixth man Miles McBride, too, has a good chance at returning against Phoenix, with The Athletic’s James Edwards III tweeting, “I think he’s back tomorrow.”
McBride is averaging career-highs all across the board, minus his still respectable 37% shooting from deep: 9.4 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. He’s missed the last seven games with a groin contusion.
Outclassed, outgunned, and outmanned no more, the Knicks hope Brunson, McBride, and Payne’s returns will spearhead a strong finish to the year and an extended postseason run. New York is 48-28, and the third-seed in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining in the regular season.
With two-and-a-half games separation between the Knicks and the fourth-seed Indiana Pacers, a first-round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks is all but a lock for the first round. New York and Milwaukee split the regular-season series 2-2.
Tip-off for Brunson’s return against the Suns is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
