The damage Karl-Anthony Cities suffered late Saturday evening in opposition to the Bulls pressured him to overlook his third sport of the season for the Knicks.
His inside-outside presence was sorely missed in an terrible 103-94 loss Monday evening to the Magic, which Tom Thibodeau lamented as a “low-energy game” for the Knicks.
The Knicks formally termed Cities’ damage proper knee tendinopathy, also called jumper’s knee, the identical situation that pressured him out of the lineup earlier within the season.
The 29-year-old Cities’ 34.6 minutes per sport in his first season in New York marked his most since 2017-18 with the Timberwolves.
He was changed within the beginning lineup by Jericho Sims, who scored 4 factors with 10 rebounds in 29 minutes.
“Whoever is in there, it’s a next-man-up mentality. He obviously brings a lot to the game, but it’s unfair to the rest of the guys on the team, who put in all the work, to say without him we weren’t able to do a lot,” Jalen Brunson stated of Cities. “We just need to come ready to play with energy, regardless of what happens.”
Backup level guard Miles McBride additionally missed his fourth straight sport with a hamstring damage.
Thibodeau reiterated that middle Mitchell Robinson (ankle) nonetheless is awaiting clearance to renew working towards, saying “that may most likely be the following step, so simply doing his rehab stuff.
There’s a whole lot of bench marks he has to clear and as soon as he does that, he’ll get on to the court docket.”
Robinson, who hasn’t spoken to the media since he was injured within the playoffs final spring, expressed frustration with followers on social media criticizing his gradual rehab course of in a submit Monday on X.
“It’s so amazing that y’all KNOW what happened and still fault me but wonder why I act the way I act,” Robinson wrote. “All love tho.”
Paolo Banchero (return to play conditioning), Franz Wagner (indirect), Moe Wagner (knee), Jalen Suggs (again) and Gary Harris (hamstring) remained out for the Magic.
