CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While Kristaps Porzingis missed his second straight game with a sore left knee Monday, Tim Hardaway Jr. is bracing for news on his own timetable.
Hardaway will be reevaluated Tuesday for the stress injury in his left leg and find out how much longer he’ll be sidelined. Hardaway will likely undergo a bone scan. If he has a stress reaction, the test will show if inflammation in the bone has subsided.
“I’m just expecting whatever, however they go, the testing, X-ray,’’ said Hardaway, who has been out 15 days. “I’m not going to get too high or low. If I get too high, I’ll get discouraged. It’s something I don’t want to hear, I’ll be upset. It’s whatever the doctors tell me tomorrow, I’m 100 percent all in.”
Before the Knicks’ 109-91 loss to the Hornets, Hardaway progressed to shooting from the 3-point line, getting off the ground ever so slightly.
“I was doing some light shooting,’’ Hardaway said. “I’m able to do it with the brace on. I’m not in a wheelchair, guys. I can do stuff as long as the brace is on. I’m not going to jump. I’m not going to anything outrageous. I can’t shoot off the wrong leg or full-speed stuff. Just stationary stuff. I can do a little bit here and there.”
The blowout allowed Joakim Noah a chance to shake off some rust as he entered with 6:44 left in garbage time. He received a rousing ovation from the large contingent of Knicks fans who were rendered mostly quiet.
Charlotte rookie combo guard Malik Monk, whom Phil Jackson passed up in the draft for Frank Ntilikina, has been taken out of the Hornets rotation. The team believes Monk’s defense isn’t up to snuff. Monk played 2:09 of garbage time, scoring four points.
Steve Clifford, a former Knicks assistant, is still on leave because of a medical issue with the team being coached by Stephen Silas. Two years ago, with the Knicks in town, Clifford received two stents in his heart and couldn’t coach the game. Patrick Ewing replaced him. One of the NBA’s most respected coaches, Clifford’s friends fear stress and related weight gain are issues affecting his health.
