There was understandable cause for panic just one minute into the Knicks’ victory Sunday over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson came off a screen, raised up for a jumper over Isaac Okoro, bumped knees, and fell in a heap. He left the game and did not return for a Knicks side that is inching ever so closer to replenishing its ranks. They’ve been without OG Anunoby (elbow surgery) and Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder) since late January. Center Mitchell Robinson has also been sidelined due to ankle surgery since December.
It appears as though Brunson’s injury was nothing more than a scare, at least according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“It’s a knee contusion,” Thibodeau said. “He bumped knees. That’s what happened. He got the X-rays, was examined by the doctor. Everything was negative. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
The 27-year-old has been the glue that has held the Knicks together all season. He is enjoying the best season of his career, averaging 27.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game which earned him a first-ever All-Star appearance and has put him firmly in the conversation as an NBA MVP finalist.
He’s battled through injury scares throughout, though. Most recently, he suffered an ankle injury during a Feb. 6 game against the Memphis Grizzlies but only missed one game.
Just 21 games remain in the regular season and Brunson will be paramount in securing one of the top seedings in the Eastern Conference for the Knicks. At 36-25, they sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference but gained a game in the standings on third-place Cleveland with that win on Sunday night.
They sit 2.5 games out of the No. 3 spot in the East and four games behind the No. 2 seed Milwaukee Bucks. The Boston Celtics already appear out of reach atop the conference with an 8.5-game lead over Milwaukee.
