Knicks star Jalen Brunson helped off court with non-contact knee injury in win over Cavaliers

Jalen Brunson landed awkwardly after attempting a shot on the Knicks’ first possession of the game on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. (AP/Sue Ogrocki)

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson went down with a non-contact leg injury almost immediately on Sunday afternoon in their 107-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brunson, on the Knicks’ first offensive possession of the game on Sunday, went up for a shot at the elbow at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. As he landed, Brunson immediately started hopping on his right leg before falling to the court. He reached down toward his left knee and ankle, and remained on the court for quite some time before play stopped.

He didn’t appear to make contact with anybody else, and he flinched in the air very awkwardly before landing back on the court.

Brunson was eventually helped off the floor, and he went straight back to the locker room. The Knicks first said he had a “sore left knee,” and he was questionable to return. The team then ruled him out officially after halftime.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that Brunson had a knee contusion, and that X-rays were negative. It’s unclear how long he’ll be sidelined, if at all.

Brunson entered the game averaging 27.7 points and 6.7 assists per game this season, his second with the Knicks. He earned his first All-Star nod this season, too, and is in the second year of a four-year, $104 million deal with the team.

Despite losing Brunson immediately, the Knicks held on in the fourth quarter to sneak out a nine-point win in Cleveland. Josh Hart finished with a triple-double with 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists. Donte DiVincenzo added 28 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 20 points off the bench.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 19 points while shooting 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. Jarrett Allen finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, and Isaac Okoro added 17 points.

The Knicks now hold a 36-25 record, which has them in fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, though they’ve lost three of their last four games. They’ll host the Atlanta Hawks next on Tuesday, which marks the first of a four-game homestand at Madison Square Garden.