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Debate

Can the Knicks survive without Jalen Brunson, or is their season already in jeopardy?

Trouble in the Garden! Well, the Knicks are off to a rough start to their season. After splitting the first two games, they were all set to host an undefeated Cavs squad tonight. As expected, the game was neck and neck from the get-go. However, the NY side’s momentum was halted after Jalen Brunson was forced to leave the game because of an unfortunate incident…

It was during the third quarter when JB drove to the basket and rose over two defenders for a left-handed floater. Halfway in the air, the hooper screamed in pain and had an awkward landing on the floor. Although it was clear that Jalen Brunson was hurt, the play continued because he missed the shot and the talisman hobbled back to his side of the floor in visible pain.

Then, just as the play stopped, Jalen Brunson immediately checked out of the game and headed straight to the locker room. Upon assessing the replay, it looked like the back of his knee had made contact with Sam Merrill’s knee during the play, which might have led to the awkward landing. Sure enough, the MSG crowd was concerned about their superstar’s health.

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Fortunately, the point guard returned to the bench after a few minutes. And Brunson was back on the floor soon as he ended the night with 21 points. However, the damage had already been done in the hooper’s absence as the Cleveland side won the game by 6 points and kept their winning streak intact. While JB was able to finish the game, the knee seemed to still be bothering him.

Braced-Jalen Brunson confronts official about the play that took him out

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During one of the timeouts, after Brunson returned to the floor, the hooper was spotted wearing a black brace on his leg. So, even though Jalen was not injured enough to stop playing, the assumed contact with Merrill definitely hurt his knee momentarily. And the All-Star even had a conversation with the official where it looked like he was discussing that very play, which led to him leaving the game. Maybe, JB was not happy that the referee did not call a foul on the Cavs star. However, was that sufficient to warrant a foul?

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Can the Knicks survive without Jalen Brunson, or is their season already in jeopardy?

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Moreover, the Knicks’ troubles did not end there because, in the fourth quarter, Josh Hart suffered an apparent knee injury after a collision with Caris LeVert while diving for a loose ball. And he, too, left the game moments later. Well, this is not the start the Knicks would have wanted as the New York side has now lost two of their first three games and their star players are already dealing with health concerns. Hopefully, all these unexpected events will not affect their availability in the next game.

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