The New York Knicks went home Sunday night feeling good about themselves, and fortunate because of the prognosis of star guard Jalen Brunson.
There was another, much more dismal, way that the evening might have gone.
Despite losing Brunson to a left knee injury that seemed worse than the organization now claims it is, the Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-98. Following the game, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau described it as a “knee contusion” and said that X-rays obtained at the Cleveland venue came back negative.
“You have concerns anytime someone goes down like that,” Thibodeau said. However, he began to feel somewhat better. The X-rays were with him. The good news is that the physicians examined him.
Not so long ago, there was a period of time when things weren’t so great.
Though he was unable to walk on his own, Brunson begged medics not to declare him out of the game after staggering off the floor in Cleveland. The All-Star hobbled past the bench and into the tunnel, receiving assistance from Precious Achiuwa and a team trainer.
In order to see how much pressure he could put on his left leg and if he could leap, the point guard returned to the locker room. At first, the Knicks said that Brunson’s chances of returning were doubtful. They declared him out as soon as they recognized his anguish was too great for him to continue.
After probably their most courageous victory of the year, New York’s players, who were on the verge of euphoria in the visiting locker room after the game, were also informed that Brunson’s injury did not seem to be severe.
Donte DiVincenzo said, “I asked him if he was okay, and he said he’ll be fine.” And to me, it is everything. .. I’m not concerned about Jalen. He is among the league’s hardest players.
It’s still unknown when Brunson’s injuries will heal. The Knicks will take on the Atlanta Hawks at home on Tuesday. They then get two days off in a row before hosting the Orlando Magic.
In response to the question of whether Brunson would be able to play in the Atlanta game, Thibodeau shrugged, perhaps indicating that it was too soon to say.
“I suppose,” he concluded. “Everything was negative and it’s a knee contusion, so we’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Sunday night, Brunson dribbled from the left wing toward the foul line and dipped, awkwardly kicking both knees out to the side as he went up. It was the Knicks’ opening possession of the game. Even before he touched down, Brunson was holding onto his knee, and Cavaliers defender Isaac Okoro did not seem to make any contact that would have indicated a problem. With 11:13 remaining in the first quarter, Brunson had already fallen to the ground after hopping a few times. He was gone forever.
Just before Brunson fell, he was hustled around a screen by teammate Isaiah Hartenstein and seemed to unintentionally clash knees with the center. This might have been the source of the injury. However, Brunson collected the ball after wrapping around the screen, attempted his move, and then clutched his knee in midair.
After the game, when asked about it, Hartenstein wasn’t sure whether he had really smacked Brunson’s knees or not.
“I don’t believe so,” he said. “I watched him run again on the video. I was feeling nothing.
After the game, Brunson did not talk to media about his injuries.
This season, Brunson, 27, made his All-Star team for the first time. He is averaging career highs of 27.7 points and 6.7 assists. At 47 seconds into the game, Miles McBride replaced Brunson and never came back. He had five assists and 16 points in the end. Josh Hart had a triple double with 13 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists, while DiVincenzo led the struggling Knicks with 28 points and six 3-pointers. In the East, only the Knicks (36–25) are ranked fourth.
With Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson out for New York due to serious injuries, and Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert out for Cleveland due to minor ones, this rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series had already lost a lot of its appeal.
Due to Brunson’s injury, four of the Knicks’ starters missed their game against one of the league’s finest and hottest teams. New York is used to this, of course. The Knicks have struggled with injuries all season.
Due to Achilles tendinopathy, Hartenstein has fluctuated in and out of the starting lineup. A few weeks before, Bojan Bogdanović was sidelined due to a calf injury. The following evening, DiVincenzo missed play due to a hamstring injury. Due to neck spasms, Brunson was unable to dress for a defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week.
According to Thibodeau, “it’s really been the story of the season.” “Simply keep fighting; we have been fighting without enough manpower since December. All we can do is that.
The All-Star Randle has missed games since January 29 due to a dislocated right shoulder. Along with Robinson, who hasn’t played since Dec. 11 due to ankle surgery, Randle traveled to Cleveland with the Knicks on Sunday morning and again before the game.
Regarding Randle, Thibodeau said, “He’s making really good progress, so we’re hopeful that it’ll be soon.” “You want to make sure that the physicians are happy with the medical outcome; he is happy with the outcome. And once it does, he’s doing pretty much everything. He has made a few passing touches, but not with a player yet. So that will be the next action.
Sam Merrill scored 21 points off the bench for the Cavs, who dropped to 3-4 during the All-Star break and lost ground on the leaders. Jarrett Allen added eighteen points, while Darius Garland ended with nineteen. After a gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Knicks, the team was desperate to prove that it had changed, but they lost the season series against New York, 2-1.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, “I think we let our guard down.” We were ready for a clash in one sense, and without him (Brunson), I believe we relaxed a little bit and let our guard down. They had a variety of players that contributed and made plays, and if you give talented NBA players a late shot, they will bite you in the ass.
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/