After describing his Game 1 performance as “horrific,” Jalen Brunson has joined teammate Julius Randle on the Knicks’ official injury report.
The team’s two leading scorers both have been listed as questionable for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night against the Heat at Madison Square Garden.
Postseason gamesmanship? Perhaps.
There was no mention of an injury to Brunson during Tom Thibodeau’s media availability on Monday, but the point guard is dealing with a sore right ankle, the team announced later in the day.
Randle sat out the Knicks’ series-opening loss with a sprained left ankle suffered in Game 5 of the first round against the Cavaliers, while Heat star Jimmy Butler’s status for Game 2 also is questionable after he also suffered a right ankle injury in Sunday’s fourth quarter.
Randle also was sidelined for the final five games of the regular season after initially suffering the same injury March 29 against the Heat.
Brunson, who missed 10 of the final 14 games with foot and hand injuries, was hard on himself after shooting 0-for-7 from 3-point range and committing five turnovers in Sunday’s loss.
“Today I was horrific. It’s very uncharacteristic by me. This one’s on me. I got to be better, and I will be better,” Brunson, who actually scored a team-high 25 points on 11-for-23 shooting overall, said after Sunday’s game. “Inside the 3-point line, I was pretty efficient. Outside the 3-point line, I was terrible. They’re a good team, great [defensively], well coached, experienced.
“So you gotta give them credit, but for me, I gotta be better.”
The absence of either or both of Randle and Brunson obviously would be a significant obstacle to the Knicks evening the series before it shifts to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
- Vaccaro: Knicks’ failure to help Brunson is why their season’s over
- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
The team did not hold a full practice Monday, instead dissecting film of their Game 1 loss.
“Basically, a big film day. [Randle] did pre-practice, got treatment, had a good workout. So, we’ll see where he is [Tuesday],” Thibodeau said Monday at the team’s Tarrytown facility. “He’s gotta follow the protocol that’s set up by medical, and then there’s a bunch of steps that he has to go through. He’s doing that and responding well, overall.”
Randle initially sprained his ankle March 29 against the Heat when he landed on the foot of All-Star center Bam Adebayo.
The two-time All-Star forward struggled to find his rhythm in the opening round against Cleveland, shooting 33.8 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent (8-for-34) from 3-point range before aggravating the ankle injury in the second quarter of Game 5.
“If he’s on the court, he’s going to be Julius Randle. He’s an All-Star, so him being out there on the court definitely does something for us,” teammate RJ Barrett said Monday. “Whether he’s out there or not, we’ve got to try to figure it out. Because we’re in it. We’re here. But we’ve got to be prepared for everything.”
Indeed, with or without Randle and/or Brunson, the Knicks must shoot more efficiently from the outside after making just 7 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc in Game 1.
Only Randle’s fill-in, Obi Toppin, sank more than one 3-pointer, finishing the game 4-for-11 from deep.
“He’s one of our main players. He does a lot for us,” Thibodeau added of Randle. “Obviously, we prefer to have him, but if we don’t, we gotta find a way to get it done.”
Randle, who paced the Knicks in the regular season with 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, also posted big numbers in four games earlier this year against the Heat.
Even leaving the fourth head-to-head matchup before halftime, he averaged 30.2 points per game in the season series.
“I think having Julius is something we’d like to have,” Immanuel Quickley said. “He’s a big part of our team and what he does. He can score, he can defend. He can rebound. He can push. He’s a trigger man. I don’t know if it’s just necessarily Miami, but he’s one of our best players, so he helps our team win.”
Quickley would start at point guard if Brunson is unable to play.
The Sixth Man of the Year runner-up put up 22.6 points and 5.1 assists per game in 21 starts this season, but he’s slumped in the playoffs, averaging 9.0 points on 34 percent shooting in six games off the bench.
