Will Knicks Have Injured Jalen Brunson to Close Out Western Swing in Portland?

As the New York Knicks try to salvage a Western split in the Pacific Northwest, the Jalen Brunson injury saga has taken a somewhat alarming turn.

Leave it to the new-century New York Knicks to create pessimism from inactivity. 

The team announced that Jalen Brunson would be labeled doubtful for Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET, MSG), which serves as the final act of a four-game Western Conference tour that has been staged mostly without the primary point guard's services. 

Foot soreness stemming from an injury sustained 10 days ago in a Mar. 3 win over Miami is once again set to keep Brunson in street clothes. While that's hardly surprising considering that the ailment has kept him out of four of the past five games (where the Knicks have posted a 2-3 record), Brunson was more or less a game-time decision in earlier games on this trip. The label of doubtful is a bit of a cause for concern, especially considering the fact that it's looming over the Knicks' stretch run to what's been a promising season spearheaded primarily by his effort since coming over on a $104 million contract last summer. 

Brunson did briefly play during this Western swing, appearing in 19 first half minutes on Thursday in Sacramento before he was forced to leave when he reaggravated the injury.

Going into Tuesday's game, the Knicks (40-30) will look to salvage a split of a four-game road trip. A Sunday victory over the Los Angeles Lakers sans Brunson snapped their first three-contest losing streak since mid-January. Tuesday will mark a homecoming for Brunson's collegiate and current teammate Josh Hart, who came over from Portland in a trade deadline that has taken the Knicks to a new level of contention. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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