Knicks’ Brunson back in lineup after knee scare

NEW YORK — Just days after a scary-looking knee injury forced him to exit Sunday’s win in Cleveland, New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson returned to the starting lineup Friday night at Madison Square Garden against the Orlando Magic.

Brunson returned to practice Thursday, and Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had said afterward that Brunson would take part in pregame warmups with the intention to play Friday.

Asked if Brunson would play with any minutes limitations, Thibodeau said, “We’ll watch him. He’s coming off an injury, so just the normal stuff you would look at.”

Brunson, who made his first All-Star appearance last month, left Sunday’s game less than a minute into the first quarter after spasming as he leapt into the air. He stayed down on the court for some time before eventually getting to his feet and hobbling off the court.

Thibodeau eased any fears of a potential long-term injury when he said after Sunday’s game that Brunson had a knee contusion and was day-to-day. After missing Tuesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Brunson was able to practice Thursday and seemed to go through his normal pregame workout Friday without issue.

It was a welcome dose of positive injury news for New York, which has lost seven of its past 10 games and entered Friday’s game a half-game behind the Magic for fourth place in the East standings. The Magic, who entered the game with a five-game winning streak and wins in eight of their past 10, have stormed up the standings while the Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers have all dealt with massive injury issues in recent weeks.

In addition to Brunson’s injury, New York has been missing its entire starting frontcourt of OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson for weeks, while Robinson’s replacement, Isaiah Hartenstein, has been in and out of the lineup with persistent Achilles soreness.

Anunoby, who has missed the past several weeks after undergoing a procedure on his elbow, began going through 5-on-5 full contact practice this week. Thibodeau said Anunoby now just needs clearance from doctors before he can return to the court.

“He’s doing everything now, so he’s good,” Thibodeau said. “When the doctor clears him, he’s ready to go. That’s the final step.”

Randle, meanwhile, remains a bit further away with his recovery from a sprained shoulder suffered in a fall against the Miami Heat on Jan. 27.

Despite the injuries, Thibodeau has maintained that the Knicks have enough to win, regardless of who is available.

“It’s been a challenge all year,” Thibodeau said of the injuries. “You look at where you are. There’s 20 games to go. We’re 10 games over 500 and we have a top 10 offense, we have a top 10 defense, we’re number one in rebound margin.

“But we know this is the time that everything gets ramped up so we’ve just got to keep fighting until we get everyone back.”