DALLAS — A sore right hip will sideline New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson during his first visit in Dallas since departing in free agency last summer.
The Knicks announced about 45 minutes before tipoff that Brunson, who had been listed as questionable, would be out.
The Knicks also lost wing RJ Barrett early in Tuesday’s game. Barrett exited in the first quarter with a right index finger laceration and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Brunson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Mavericks after being selected with an early second-round pick in the 2018 draft. He was Dallas’ second-leading scorer last season and played an especially critical role in the Mavs’ run to the Western Conference finals, scoring 41 and 31 points in wins over the Utah Jazz in the first round while superstar Luka Doncic was recovering from a calf strain.
The Mavs hoped to re-sign Brunson, but he signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks in free agency. New York was penalized a future second-round pick after an NBA investigation determined that the Knicks, who hired Brunson’s father, Rick, as an assistant coach in June, were guilty of violating the league’s tampering rules by engaging in free agency discussions with Brunson before permitted.
Brunson is averaging career highs of 20.2 points and 6.6 assists per game this season.
Source: www.espn.com