Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson out 3rd straight game due to left ankle
The Knicks ruled Mitchell Robinson out of Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, marking the third straight game that New York’s defensive anchor and window cleaner has missed due to what the team describes as load management — not a new injury.
Robinson, who has undergone two surgeries to repair stress fractures in his left ankle, is not expected to participate in back-to-back legs this season.
But after playing 18 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 27 — a game he didn’t leave due to injury — Robinson missed the Knicks’ Dec. 29 game in New Orleans against the Pelicans and the New Year’s Eve game in San Antonio against the Spurs, neither of which were consecutive.
Friday’s game against the Hawks was the first back-to-back game between Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers coming to town on Saturday. So it’ll be a tough sell on load management, again, if the Knicks want to keep their backup center going for a fourth straight game.
Still, the numbers paint a clear picture: Friday against the Hawks marked the 34th game of the season for the Knicks, while Robinson only appeared in 22. The Knicks’ backup big is the league’s leading offensive rebounder and is averaging 4.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, but he’s playing just 18.5 minutes, handicapped by a load-management protocol designed to keep him healthy for long time.
“Shoot, we’d rather have it than not,” head coach Mike Brown said before Friday’s announcement. “When we do, he definitely protects us on the back end, in different ways. At the end of the day, I truly believe the guys we have on this team are more than capable. I’m going to keep pushing. No matter who’s in the uniform, I’m going to keep pushing them to play better because I believe in them. I feel like they also believe in each other and what we’re doing.”
CHILDREN’S NEW LOOK KNICKS
Mohamed Diawara scored a back-to-back hat trick in San Antonio against the Spurs on Wednesday. Ariel Hukporti had six points, six rebounds, a block and a steal. Tyler Kolek was plus-14 in 15 minutes with three points and six assists. And Kevin McCullar Jr. is also enjoying his moments as they come.
The Knicks may be going through a tough injury patch, but their young players answered the bell.
In their three Friday games against Atlanta, here’s how the new-look Knicks kids performed:
— Diawara has started two of his last three games and is averaging 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals on 58.3 percent three-point shooting, his biggest offensive question mark entering his freshman year. He averaged 13.3 minutes during that stretch, often playing heavy minutes early in games and watching from the bench late.
— McCullar Jr. enjoyed his “Welcome to the Knicks” moment in Atlanta: 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from deep against the Hawks. The second-year forward, previously out of the rotation, logged nine minutes in each of the next two games.
— Kolek’s role has diminished somewhat with McBride’s return to the lineup, but he entered Friday with 11 assists over his last two games and three assists on six total attempts. The second-year guard had already enjoyed his breakthrough, averaging 12 points and 6.6 assists on 42 percent three-point shooting from Dec. 15-26.
– And Hukporti also had his moments showing off his blend of speed, toughness and touch, replacing Robinson as the backup center, often sidelined due to his ankle.
BRUNSON IN NUMBERS
Jalen Brunson’s 29.4 points per game ranks him seventh among NBA scorers, ahead of Anthony Edwards (Minnesota), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) and Stephen Curry (Golden State) and behind Jaylen Brown (Boston), Nikola Jokic (Denver), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) and Luka Doncic (Los. Angeles).
Brunson averages 6.5 free throw attempts per game and makes 5.5, tying a career-best 84.7 percent from the foul line. Among the 20 players averaging 25 or more points per game this season, Brunson ranks 14th in attempts from the foul line with Doncic (11.8), Antetokounmpo (9.8), Portland’s Deni Avdija (9.6), Gilgeous-Alexander (9.0) and Los Angeles’ James Harden (8.7) among the top three.
