The Knicks took a terrible beating tonight. And not just in terms of the 104-110 loss against the Cavaliers. Josh Hart left the floor with an ankle injury after a nasty fall in a collision with Caris LeVert. And it just so happens to be in the wake of Jalen Brunson also momentarily leaving the game in the third quarter because of a knee injury.

It is likely that this is an extension of the right ankle injury Hart sustained in New York’s 123-98 victory over the Pacers in the previous matchup. As he exited, Josh had a double-double to his name for tonight – 16 points and 13 rebounds. Per Jeri Tsai, as the hooper retreated, “Josh Hart grabbing his ankle and asked Thibs to go out of the game.”

However, it truly was a disappointing night. For one, New York was up 13 in the third against an undefeated Cavs squad, only to lose it in a shocking turnaround, after a 20-point swing. Circling back to Brunson, the franchise superstar had a painful exit. 

As Jalen elevated for a left-handed floater over defenders, he landed awkwardly on his right foot. And as soon as he made contact with the floor, the 28-year-old writhed in pain, leaving the MSG crowd seriously worried. Although he returned to the locker room, the 6’2 guard was back on the bench, working with elastic bands and sporting a wrap around his right knee.

With Josh Hart also joining Brunson, they have another reason to be concerned. Cleveland, for its part, continues its dominant run. A stunning outing by none other than Darius Garland, who led tonight with a game-high 34 points, allowed the ‘City of Champions’ to move ahead with a 4-0 lead. Out of those 34 points, he scored 21 in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter alone.

Post-game presser saw Thibs with further details about Hart.

Coach Thibodeau updates on Josh Hart, as Jalen Brunson expresses disappointment after Cavs game

“I haven’t talked to medical, they said it was a bruise but I haven’t gotten anything further,” the Knicks HC responded to questions about Hart in the post-game presser. While it isn’t the answer we were hoping for, a bruise isn’t a scary injury. But as mentioned above, if it indeed is an extension of his past ankle issues, then we might have to brace ourselves for a tough update from the Knicks.

While the injury scare from Brunson had fans at the Garden breathing heavily, he did return, albeit for an off-shooting night. An 8-of-24 shooting shadowed JB’s team-high 21 points. But what bothered him more was not being able to finish the game with Hart.

“Brunson on Josh Hart: Of course, anybody that doesn’t finish the game it’s hard to see and you want your brothers out there finishing the game with you. I mean, we’ll see. Don’t know what’s the situation but we’ll see going forward,” Steve Popper of Newsday Sports tweeted on X.

That said, the Knicks should have been able to overcome the Cavs’ surge with Jalen Brunson’s off-night or even the loss of Josh Hart. New York’s strategic and shocking off-season moves were done to combat exactly these specific situations. As Brunson pointed out, hopefully, the ‘Empire State’ can figure things out as they continue building chemistry with the new additions to their team.