Jalen Brunson’s Injury Scare in Game 1 of the NBA Finals

The New York Knicks found themselves holding their breath during the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night as star guard Jalen Brunson encountered an injury scare while playing against the San Antonio Spurs.

Brunson took a hard hit to his right knee when Spurs backup Harrison Barnes accidentally fell onto him. Instantly, he was seen grabbing his leg, clearly in distress.

After a quick exit from the game, Brunson signaled to his teammates and headed toward the locker room. Fortunately, he returned to the bench but had yet to re-enter the game at that point.

Brunson is vital to the Knicks, averaging nearly 27 points and over six assists in the playoffs. So, when he made it back to the bench, relief washed over the Knicks fans. Still, he remained sidelined during warm-ups while trainers assessed whether he would require a knee brace.

Eventually, Brunson did return to the court, but another scare was right around the corner. He made a high floater after driving left, but as he landed, he appeared to twist his left ankle. To make matters worse, center Luke Cornett accidentally stepped on that same ankle.

Brunson was seen limping and appeared a bit banged up. He approached referee Scott Foster and expressed his belief that he had been fouled and should have received free throws.

After a quick timeout, instead of heading back to the locker room, Brunson decided to stay on the court and began to find his rhythm. Both teams were hoping for a clean, seven-game series, but the Knicks surely didn’t want to start their first Finals appearance since 1999 with their best scorer limping off early.

His night started off rocky, sinking only one of his initial six shots after making a three-pointer to kick things off.

As of the latest update, Brunson had logged 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists but was shooting 5-of-15. The tension around his performance—and health—remained palpable throughout the game.