The New York Knicks’ high of a five-game winning streak came crashing down in the worst possible way. The Orlando Magic handed them their first home defeat of the season. But that may not have been the worst part. The ‘captain’ Jalen Brunson suffered what appeared to be a notorious ankle injury late in the fourth quarter.

Trying to spark some kind of a fightback, Brunson tried to go to the rack. However, his right ankle rolled, after which the former Mavericks point guard hobbled to the locker room. Head coach Mike Brown didn’t have much to say about the ailment. He only knew that Jalen Brunson rolled his ankle, with no further update.

The Knicks will surely run further tests to evaluate the extent of the injury. Despite the blowout loss, Brunson put in another productive shift. The savvy guard added 31 points and six assists before being forced out of the game. But the Knicks’ night turned miserable far before that moment.

During their five-game win streak, the team averaged 130.2 points per game. Their offense thrived. Yet, tonight, they only posted 107, with just 42 points in the first half. Those numbers appear worse when factoring in what the Magic had to face during the game. Their star forward, Paolo Banchero, also exited the game with a groin injury in the second quarter.

The Magic star will undergo an MRI. In his absence, Franz Wagner elevated his game with a 28-point winning effort to hand the Knicks their first defeat at MSG. There’s also optimism that Banchero hasn’t suffered a tear in his groin, according to the Magic’s training staff. The same though can’t be said for Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks star left the arena on crutches, leaving fans in doubt about the severity of the injury. And they still can’t understand why Brown even had their leading scorer in the game.

Knicks fans are livid with Mike Brown for keeping Jalen Brunson in the game

The Knicks didn’t lead against the Magic after falling behind in the first quarter. Additionally, while their second half was better, a comeback never seemed to be on the cards. Hence, to have Brunson on the floor with two minutes remaining and down double-digits didn’t really add up. And with him suffering an injury, the fans were understandably furious with Mike Brown.

“Mike brown leaving him in down 16 with a min left on a back to back and no one mad about this? Brown is a moron,” one fan commented. The head coach’s philosophy does dictate fighting to the end. But it was evident that aside from Brunson, the Knicks didn’t have much going.

“I don’t understand how this kind of play still isn’t considered a flagrant. With that said, Brunson shouldn’t have been on the court. Mike Brown went full Thibs tonight, and deserves more blame than anybody else for it. His game plan wasn’t even good to start the game,” another fan mentioned.

Notably, Tom Thibodeau was criticized for his short rotations and heavy reliance on starters. Brown may have done that tonight. But overall, no Knicks players are averaging over 34 minutes, and he is incorporating a steady bench too. Still, tonight’s decision to play Brunson surely backfired.

It was also a freak injury. Jalen Brunson rolling his ankle wasn’t because of his workload. He stepped on Wendell Carter Jr’s foot, causing the ailment. So some fans even defended the HC. “Blaming Mike Brown for keeping Brunson in is corny. We gotta stop this gimmick. Injuries are unpredictable. We supposed to pull the starters in the last 5 minutes every time we are down double digits? F–k that. It was a freak accident,” a fan wrote.

But most still disagreed, pointing to the risks of playing their star player when the game was completely out of reach. “No. Mike brown sucks. How tf do u leave him in that game down 16 with a min left on second night of a back to back? That was a real bad sprain it rolled completely over to the ground. If it’s high ankle he’s out a few months,” said another fan.

So far, Jalen Brunson wearing a boot and having to use crutches aren’t good signs. It could just be because the injury had just transpired, and the Knicks wanted to avoid risking further damage. They will pray it’s nothing serious. However, it did seem unnecessary to play Brunson in the final quarter.

Nobody wants to quit. But with almost no chance of recovering, Mike Brown could have looked to his bench to close out the game. Do you think the Knicks HC is at fault? Let us know your views in the comments below.