With Jalen Brunson sidelined due to an ankle sprain, the New York Knicks must elevate their play as a unit. As the regular season winds down, Tom Thibodeau’s team holds the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

The New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers will face off on Wednesday night and both teams may be without one of their stars.

Though the team may be without Jalen Brunson for the foreseeable future, this Knicks x-factor could help to keep the team afloat.

Anyone with eyes knows what it would mean for N.Y. if Brunson were to miss significant time — like trying to drive a car without the keys.

The New York Knicks suffered a crushing overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, but the final result was not the worst thing to happen. Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson left the game with just over a minute remaining in overtime with an apparent ankle injury and did not return.