It may be bad news Billy for the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Injuries are piling up for the Knicks as their backcourt adds another prominent name to the injury report ahead of a crucial matchup with the Bulls.
Knicks’ main backcourt weapons are all 50-50 for Bulls matchup
The Knicks are approaching their next contest against the Chicago Bulls with the possibility that all three of their featured points guards could be sidelined. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported the Knicks’ injury report on X this afternoon, which lists All-Star starting PG Jalen Brunson, backup PG Cam Payne, and Sixth Man of the Year hopeful combo guard Miles McBride all as questionable for the big-city rivalry contest.
Knicks: Jalen Brunson has to now worry about an ankle injury on top of a slow start
Brunson is having a slight down year to begin the 2024-25 campaign by his standards. Nevertheless, he is the Knicks’ franchise player and second-leading scorer behind All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns with 24.3 points per game. He’s also leading New York with 6.4 nightly assists while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range. The Knicks are hoping that he’ll overcome discomfort in his sprained ankle and be ready to go against Chicago.
Knicks’ bench could struggle mightily without Miles McBride
McBride has been up-and-down over his last five games but is still giving the Knicks double-figure scoring off the bench with 11.6 PPG and 1.2 steals per contest on a 39.3 percent connection from long range. His absence would devastate a Knicks second unit that has been non-existent in several games this year. The West Virginia product’s knee inflammation has not kept him out of any games yet, and New York will hope that their matchup against the Bulls won’t be the first.
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Knicks will look to get above .500 with Cam Payne hopefully active
As for Payne, his floor general leadership and playmaking have also been missed throughout the young campaign. He’s already missed four games this season, and now, his strained hamstring will threaten to make that five. The 30-year-old is struggling from an efficiency standpoint on the year, but could right the ship against his former team.
The Knicks (5-5) are looking to climb above .500 with a win over the Bulls on Wednesday night. They currently sit as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Should any of the three miss time, or even multiple of them, expect rookie Tyler Kolek to man point guard duties in an elevated role. Particularly in the case of a potential Brunson absence, his scoring output will likely be absorbed by Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges — the latter of whom is due to start coming into his own on the year. Tip-off for the Knicks and Bulls’ duel is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET.
