Jalen Brunson’s 40 points lift Knicks over Pacers for ninth straight win

The Knicks announced a bit of good news about Julius Randle Thursday afternoon, putting out an optimistic timetable for his return from a dislocated right shoulder. And Thursday evening more good news came surrounding Randle as he was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, joining Jalen Brunson on the squad.

But for much of the night it seemed as if the reality around Randle had finally arrived when the game started and the Knicks’ ability to preach “next man up” was coming up empty as they fell behind the high-scoring Indiana Pacers by 15 points.

But the All-Star left on the floor took over from there, shaking off a night of physicality and frustration to score 40 points and lead the Knicks to a 109-105 win, their ninth straight victory pulling them within a half-game of second place in the East. 

Brunson delivered a tying three-pointer to finally drag the Knicks back and with Madison Square Garden erupting, he delivered dagger after dagger. 

The efforts of Brunson and the rest of the shorthanded squad — missing Randle and OG Anunoby for a third straight game and adding Quentin Grimes to list of players sidelined with a knee injury — somehow managed to allow the Knicks to get through another day of rest and rehabilitation for the missing pieces.

The win didn’t come easy as Brunson was battered regularly. With two minutes remaining he took a clear blow to the face by Andrew Nembhard as the Pacers double-teamed him in the backcourt. He went to the floor in pain, appearing to have been hit in the eye, and Indiana’s Jalen Smith picked the ball up and scored a go-ahead basket. But after a timeout, Brunson attacked again, going to the basket for a floater and giving the Knicks the lead back. After he missed a free throw, the Knicks grabbed the rebound and Donte DiVincenzo hit a short jumper. Precious Achiuwa tipped in a miss and the Knicks’ lead was up to five with just over a minute left.

Achiuwa had 12 points, 16 rebounds and four steals while Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 19 rebounds. DiVincenzo had 20 points and Deuce McBride added 16 off the bench.

The bigger long-term news was that Randle remains on course for a return in weeks, not months. The team announced that would be reevaluated in two to three weeks. The initial belief after X-rays and an MRI on Saturday night, as well as additional testing, was that Randle avoided major structural damage. This report lines up with that. While the team still has not ruled out the possibility of surgery, he already has begun the rehab process and there is optimism that he will be back before too long.

“Yeah, I don’t know the specifics on it,” coach Tom Thibodeau said when asked if surgery absolutely has been ruled out. “I know the rehab has started and I feel sorry for the [physical therapists]. You know the way Jules works. So he’s upbeat and he’s feeling better, so just take it day by day and hopefully everything goes well.

“You know his makeup. That’s what you love about the guy. It’ll be full-bore. He’ll give it everything he has to get back as quick as he can. But we’re not going to put him in harm’s way. We’re going to make sure he’s healthy before he gets out there. But we’re encouraged.”

It may not be as important as the rehabilitation work, but Randle on Thursday was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team by the coaches as a reserve, joining Jalen Brunson on the squad. Randle obviously will not play and NBA commissioner Adam Silver will name an injury replacement.

The current timetable would bring Randle to the All-Star break. In a best-case scenario, the lengthy time off could allow him to return Feb. 22 when the Knicks start up the post-break portion of the schedule in Philadelphia.

Entering Thursday, the Knicks had not lost a step without Randle, ascending to third place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind second-place Milwaukee. While Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa have filled in admirably, the team still undoubtedly is better with Randle and his 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

“I was just praying his injury wasn’t worse,” said Taj Gibson, who was re-signed after Randle’s injury. “I’ve been around him when he first came in, so I understand where his heart is at. If you know Jules, if you’re hearing the news that they just said, he’s going to push that ahead of time. He’s playing for something special. He believes in his work. He’s just one of those guys, he doesn’t miss time. That’s one of the things I love about him. He’s just a complete competitor.’’

Randle suffered the injury with 4:27 remaining in the Knicks’ win over Miami when he drove to the basket, collided with Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and crashed to the floor.

“I know what he means to our team,” Thibodeau said. “And so I like the way our team has responded. We know we can’t replace what he does individually, so we have to do that collectively. But the encouraging thing is obviously we’re hopeful that everything goes well, and we think it will. But we’re pleased knowing his makeup. The way he works, he’ll be back as soon as he can be back.”

Before suffering the injury Saturday, Randle had not missed a game this season, even though he was still working his way into shape at the beginning of the season after offseason surgery on his left ankle.

“I think he’s been through things before and I think that serves him well,” Thibodeau said. “I think he knows how to approach it from a mental standpoint, and so as I mentioned it to you guys before, I think the fact that he’s in great shape, I think it helps him as well.”

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.