Knicks star Jalen Brunson is out with a left knee injury against the Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson suffered a left knee injury in the first minute of a 107-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and did not return.

The Knicks described the injury as “left knee pain” and initially said Brunson's return was “in doubt” before ruling him out after halftime. The incident certainly didn't go down well for the New York All-Star.

On the Knicks' first possession, Brunson dribbled from the left wing toward the foul line and unleashed a powerful shot, awkwardly kicking his legs to the side on his way up. Brunson was holding his knee before he even landed, and there was no clear contact from Cavs defenseman Isaac Okoro to indicate the injury. He jumped several times before falling on the court, and was taken to the locker room with 11:13 left in the first quarter.

One possible cause of the injury occurred just seconds before Brunson's fall, when he moved a screen to his teammate, Isaiah Hartenstein, and accidentally caught both knees up the middle. But Brunson wound up going around the screen, grabbed the ball, and made his move before catching his knee in the air.

Brunson, 27, an All-Star for the first time this season, is averaging 27.7 points and 6.7 assists — both career highs. Myles McBride took over for Brunson and finished the game with 16 points and five assists in 47 minutes. The only minute he didn't play in this game was Brunson's. Donte DiVincenzo was the best scorer for the Knicks with 28 points and six three-pointers, while Josh Hart recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Knicks alone are ranked fourth in the East.

This rematch of last year's first-round playoff series between the Cavs and Knicks had already lost some of its serious luster, as the Knicks were missing Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson — who are rehabbing major injuries — while Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert. Due to minor injuries.

The Cavaliers, who fell to 3-4 after the All-Star break and fell out of second place with the loss, got 21 points off the bench from Sam Merrill. Darius Garland finished with 19 points and Jarrett Allen added 18 points.

Especially recently, the injury problem has plagued the Knicks. Hartenstein has been in and out of the lineup due to Achilles tendinopathy. Brunson just missed Tuesday's game with neck spasms as well.

Randle, an All-Star, has been sidelined since Jan. 29 with a dislocated right shoulder. He and Robinson (who has been out since Dec. 11 with ankle surgery) made the trip to Cleveland with the Knicks, and Randle practiced on the court Sunday morning and again before the game.

“He's making really good progress, so hopefully that will happen soon,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle. “You want to make sure the doctors feel good about it medically; he feels good about it. Once that happens, he pretty much does everything. He's made some light contact but nothing has happened with any player yet. So This will be the next step.”

This story will be updated.

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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)