On the first day of the new year, Jalen Brunson will miss his first game of the season.
The Knicks ruled out the guard due to a tight right calf for the New Year’s Day matchup at Madison Square Garden against the Utah Jazz.
Brunson had been listed as questionable earlier in the day – as he had been for each of New York’s recent games in Washington – but unlike those games he was deemed not fit enough for duty.
Of course, the calf ailment didn’t limit Brunson against the lowly Wizards as he had the magic touch to score 55 on 18-for-31 shooting with nine assists in a 136-132 overtime win on Saturday. And he had enough tricks up his sleeve on Monday night to score 18 points and tally six assists on 6-for-17 shooting in a more comfortable 126-106 win.
Miles McBride was expected to get the nod in Brunson’s place, but Cam Payne was inserted into the starting lineup just before tip. McBride, who was not seen on the Knicks bench during the first quarter, was ruled out midway through the second period due to a hamstring issue.
New York entered the game riding an eight-game winning streak.
