Injured Jalen Brunson shares 2-word reaction to $90,900,000 star sinking game-winner

Jalen Brunson might not be with the New York Knicks due to his injury, but he celebrated their win on Wednesday night in Portland. Mikal Bridges had himself a night, finishing with 33 points and hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater 3-point shot to give the Knicks the 114-113 overtime win.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Brunson dropped a two-word reaction to Bridges' shot at the buzzer that got Knicks fans inside the Moda Center rocking.

New York was down 113-111 when Bridges inbounded the ball to Josh Hart, who set a screen and handed the ball back to his teammate for the game-winning shot.

"YEAH KALE," Brunson tweeted.

Mikal Bridges, who has two years left on his four-year, $90,900,000 contract, stepped up for the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson's absence meant that the scoring would come by committee, with Bridges answering the call for his former Villanova teammate.

Bridges finished with 33 points, four rebounds and four assists, hitting two 3-point shots. Karl-Anthony Towns provided 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while OG Anunoby contributed 23 points, seven boards and three dimes.

The Knicks improved to 42-23 for the season and remained in third place in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. They are now 2-2 in their current five-game road trip that started on March 6 against the LA Lakers.

Jalen Brunson suffered a sprained right ankle late in the Knicks' overtime loss versus the Lakers. He was ruled out for at least two weeks as New York lost next to the LA Clippers before back-to-back wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Knicks are back in action on Saturday at the Chase Center when they face the Golden State Warriors. It's the final game of their road trip, and they will look to finish it strongly against one of the hottest teams in the NBA at the moment.

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Tom Thibodeau not concerned about his starters' minutes amid Jalen Brunson injury

Tom Thibodeau not concerned about his starters' minutes amid Jalen Brunson injury. (Photo: IMAGN)

Some people are blaming Tom Thibodeau for Derrick Rose's initial knee injury though he has mellowed down on giving his starters a lot of minutes.

With Mikal Bridges expressing concerns about his heavy minutes, Thibodeau told reporters before Wednesday's game that he's good with his starters' playing time amid Jalen Brunson's absence.

They played another overtime, so the minutes are going to look heavier, but Bridges' playing time over the past few games is around 35 minutes, as per Thibs.

The Knicks have the talent to compete in the playoffs, but getting overworked might backfire when they are in a deep postseason run.