New York Knicks celebrate: Jalen Brunson's injury not as severe as first thought

Sunday night clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks left New York fans' hearts frozen. In the first action of the game, Jalen Brunson suffered a scary non-contact injury when he was rising to release a shot. Immediatly, the point guard left the court for not coming back.

Fortunately, X-rays performed ruled out fractures, diagnosing the injury as a knee contusion. Coach Tom Thibodeau offered some relief by stating that, while concerning, the initial medical tests came back negative and Brunson felt somewhat better after the exam.

However, uncertainty lingers about the severity of the injury and its impact on the team. Brunson, who has been the Knicks' leading scorer and has been instrumental in their performance all season, could leave a difficult void to fill if his absence extends for more than a few games. This concern comes on top of previous injuries to key players such as Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.

Amid the concern, Brunson's teammates expressed confidence in his ability to bounce back. Josh Hart, one of his best friends on the team, joked in the locker room that he had to get a triple-double because "Jalen decided he didn't want to play."

Donte DiVincenzo, Brunson's former college roommate, also showed confidence on his friend's recovery: "I asked him if he was okay. And he said he'll be fine. And that's it for me," he commented. "Like I said the last time he got hurt [with a sprained ankle earlier in the season], I don't worry about Jalen. He's one of the toughest guys in the league. So whatever it is, I can really say I don't know. Whatever it is, he's coming back. He's tough as nails."

Coach Thibodeau also acknowledged the importance of the possible addition of Shake Milton as a backup at the point guard position, providing some help to the team in the possibility of an extended absence of Brunson.