Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Carmelo Anthony will be a gametime decision for tonight’s big showdown with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony sat out Wednesday’s 87-77 victory at the Detroit Pistons with fluid on his knee, and the Knicks are now 4-4 this season without the NBA’s second leading scorer.
Anthony (28.2 ppg) trails only Durant (28.6) among NBA scorers.
“Rest will probably be the best thing for him,” Woodson said, according to the New York Times. “If he wants to sit down and rest a game or two, we’ll do that. It’s still a long season.”
Anthony first mentioned after Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat that he received treatment on his knee during halftime.
He then left Monday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers after seemingly collapsing while running upcourt; he played just 14 minutes in the game. Anthony then sat out the Detroit game, and his status for tonight remains unclear.
Without him against Detroit, Raymond Felton went for 26 points, Amar’e Stoudemire had 22 and J.R. Smith 20 in the win.
“We’ll accept the challenge,” Stoudemire said, according to the Times. “That’s the nature of sports. You got to accept challenges. It’s going to be a major challenge [Thursday] even if Melo does play.”
