CLEVELAND — Just when the Knicks got back to full strength for the first time in weeks, they suddenly have a new injury concern ahead of Game 2 against the Cavaliers.
Game 1 hero Josh Hart has been listed as doubtful by the team for Tuesday’s game after he was limited in practice due to a sprained left ankle, according to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
“We’ll see how he feels [Tuesday],” Thibodeau said after the Knicks worked out at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “Usually with sprains like that, it’s more how you feel the next day. He said he felt fine in the game, so we’ll see where he is [Tuesday].”
The Knicks’ key trade-deadline acquisition appeared to land on teammate Julius Randle’s foot following a tip-in by Cleveland center Jarrett Allen late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game.
One possession later, Hart nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 to play in the Knicks’ 101-97 victory.
Hart’s uncertain status comes after Randle and Jalen Brunson had returned to the Knicks’ lineup for Game 1.
Josh Hart walks off the court during Knicks practice in Cleveland on April 17, 2023. Charles Wenzelberg/NY PostRandle sat out the final five games of the regular season with a sprained ankle, while Brunson played in only four of the final 14 games due to foot and hand injuries.
Hart had noted after Game 1 that it was “great” to have the team back at full strength to open the playoffs. He added of Randle and Brunson, “Obviously those are our guys, and we rely on them heavily on both sides of the ball.”
Now it is Hart’s turn to ominously land on the team’s official injury report.
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“We’ll see how he feels [Tuesday]. I know he’s a competitor, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” said Brunson, Hart’s college teammate at Villanova.
The 28-year-old Hart was not wearing a protective boot while on the sidelines during the portion of Monday’s practice that was open to the media.
He has not missed a game since joining the lineup following a Feb. 8 trade from Portland, emerging as a versatile and valuable role player off the bench.
Josh Hart injured his ankle late in Game 1, putting his Game 2 status in question. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostThe Knicks boast a record of 18-8 in his 26 appearances, including Saturday’s victory.
“He did some [running]. It was pretty light. Just got mainly treatment,” Thibodeau added. “He did a little bit of what we were doing. But more mental today, just get treatment, and again [Tuesday], see where he is.”
Hart contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive) in 33 minutes in Game 1.
Hart emerged as a valuable Knicks player after coming over at the trade deadline. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostHe also shared time with Quentin Grimes as the primary defenders on Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points on 14-for-30 shooting from the field.
If Hart is unable to play Tuesday night, Grimes likely would see even more time opposite Mitchell, with Deuce McBride likely rejoining the second-unit rotation.
The Knicks also will need more offensively out of Grimes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who combined to miss 18 of 21 field-goal attempts in the opener.
“I don’t think it’s really any more pressure. I feel like I’ve been guarding the best player from the other team the whole season,” Grimes said, referring to Mitchell. “So I feel like it’s just another night, for sure. Just the stakes are a little bit higher.
“I’m just going to come in a little sharper, probably just knowing that if [Hart] doesn’t play, I just have to be more alert at all times, whenever [Mitchell is] on the court, whether I’ve got Darius [Garland] or Donovan. I know [Hart is] a fighter, he’s going to try to give it a go, for sure. So I’m not even really worried about that.”






