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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The Knicks almost lost Jalen Brunson to what could be a potentially scary injury in the fourth quarter. Driving to the rim, Brunson turned his right foot in a heart-stopping moment at MSG where the New York Knicks faced the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.

It was with 5:31 left on the clock when the Knicks star had that injury scare. Fortunately, Brunson got up on his own and shook off the fall. And New York managed to defeat the very shorthanded Grizzlies 123-113.

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Whether that will have any residual effects; we will have to wait for official news. As of now, Brunson had exited the game, knowing that the team could easily claim the victory. He finished the night with 27 points, eight assists, and three rebounds in 31 minutes of game time.

Donte DiVincenzo led the scorers with 32 points while notching five assists and rebounds. Precious Achiuwa and Isaiah Hartenstein each had 17 points and Josh Hart knocked down a double-double (10-10). The Knicks continued their onslaught in the paint, scoring 66 points to Memphis’ 40.

But in the Grizzlies’ defense, they were heavily outnumbered, with a large group of their players out with injuries. They started the season stumbling without their star guard, Ja Morant. There was an immediate difference as he returned to take the floor, but fate wasn’t too kind. The ‘Volunteer State’ lost Morant to a season-ending injury in early January.

Now, the Grizzlies rank 13th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-32 record. But the “Big Apple” isn’t free of the injury bug either. And they cannot afford to lose Jalen Brunson.

Jalen Brunson-led Knicks might have won the battle but not the war

The ‘Empire State,’ though not as badly affected as Memphis, has key players missing. Quentin Grimes and OG Anunoby weren’t even sitting on the bench tonight. Julius Randle, however, was present. Tonight marks Grimes’ third, Anunoby and Randle’s fifth missed game.

Read More: Knicks Super Fan, Ben Stiller Receives Open Invitation From Josh Hart, Amid Massive Announcement With Jalen Brunson

Adding Brunson to the injury list would hurt them badly. The reason why the Knicks managed to stay in the Top 5 in the East is largely due to Brunson’s performance this season. Having only missed two games so far, Brunson is also getting ready for his All-Star break.

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A recent update by the Knicks’ beat writer, Kristan Winfield, provides some hope. He said that DiVincenzo had talked to Brunson about how he’s feeling with his ankle injury. “I said, ‘You good?’ And he said, ‘I’m good … I don’t worry about Jalen at all. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league.”

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Well, that is one way to look at it. Hopefully, the medical team also agrees with Donte. It would be quite devastating if Jalen Brunson were to be sidelined with just 10 days to go to All-Star Weekend.

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