CLEVELAND – New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson suffered a left knee injury in the first minute of a 107-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and did not return.
The Knicks referred to the injury as “left knee soreness” and originally said Brunson's return was “questionable” before ruling him out after halftime. The incident certainly didn't look good for the New York All-Star.
On the Knicks' first possession, Brunson dribbled toward the foul line from the left wing and took a jump shot, throwing both legs awkwardly to the side as he made his way up. Brunson clutched his knee before he even landed, and there was no obvious contact from Cavs defenseman Isaac Okoro to indicate an injury. He bounced a few times before falling to the court and was carried to the locker room with 11:13 left in the first quarter.
A possible cause of the injury occurred just seconds before Brunson went down when he shuffled around a screen from teammate Isaiah Hartenstein and accidentally hit his knees with the midfielder. But Brunson finished spinning around the screen, caught the ball and made his move before clutching his knee in mid-air.
Brunson, 27, an All-Star for the first time this season, is averaging 27.7 points and 6.7 assists, both career highs. Miles McBride took over for Brunson and scored 16 points and five assists in 47 minutes. The only minute he didn't play in that game belonged to Brunson. Donte DiVincenzo led the depleted Knicks with 28 points and six 3-pointers, while Josh Hart had a triple double with 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. The Knicks are alone in fourth place in the East.
This rematch of last year's first-round playoff series between the Cavs and Knicks had already lost some of its luster, as the Knicks were without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson – who are rehabilitating serious injuries – while Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert had to miss the game due to minor injuries.
The Cavs, who fell to 3-4 after the All-Star break and slipped out of second place with the loss, got 21 points from Sam Merrill off the bench. Darius Garland finished with 19 points and Jarrett Allen contributed 18 points.
The injury bug has hit the Knicks, especially lately. Hartenstein appeared in and out of the lineup with Achilles tendinopathy. Brunson also narrowly missed a game on Tuesday due to neck spasms.
Randle, an All-Star, has been out since Jan. 29 with a dislocated right shoulder. He and Robinson (out since Dec. 11 – ankle surgery) both traveled to Cleveland with the Knicks, and Randle practiced on the field Sunday morning and again before the game.
“He's progressing really well, so we're hoping it will happen soon,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle. “You want to make sure the doctors feel comfortable medically. he feels good about it. And then when that happens – and he does pretty much everything. He's had light contact, but nothing yet with a player. So that will be the next step.”
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)