Knicks star G Jalen Brunson (ankle) cleared to practice

New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson is expected to return to practice and could see game action this weekend.

Brunson, 28, initially was expected to miss at least two weeks after spraining his right ankle during overtime of a March 6 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. His recovery time has been extended as the Knicks (48-28) have gone 8-6 without him in the lineup and are in third place in the Eastern Conference.

"He's cleared for basketball activities," coach Tom Thibodeau said Wednesday before New York's 124-105 loss to the host Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks, with six regular-season games remaining, visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Brunson has played in 61 games, four short of the 65-game threshold needed to qualify for postseason awards.

A candidate for All-NBA honors and the Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson is averaging 26.3 points, 7.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 61 starts.

The Dallas Mavericks selected Brunson in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Villanova.

Voted an All-Star the past two seasons, Brunson was All-NBA second team in 2023-24. His career averages are 18.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 483 regular-season games (333 starts) for the Mavericks (2018-22) and Knicks.

--Field Level Media