NEW YORK (AP) - Knicks rookie Kevin Knox left New York’s game against Boston on Saturday night after spraining his left ankle in the first quarter.
Knox was driving for a layup on a fast break when his ankle appeared to roll badly as he was fouled by Terry Rozier III. Knox stayed on the court briefly, appearing in pain, then was carried off by a pair of teammates.
Because Knox wasn’t able to shoot the free throws, he was, by rule, forced to miss the remainder of the game. The Knicks said X-rays on his ankle were negative.
The No. 9 pick in the draft struggled late in preseason to lose what was expected to be a starting spot, then was just 4 for 16 from the floor in the season opener. But he followed that with a strong performance Friday in a loss at Brooklyn, scoring 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
“I feel bad for the kid,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said. “He’s had his share of adversity already. That was what I joked to him about. I said, ‘Welcome to the NBA. You play like crap, you play great, and then you get hurt.’
“That’s the roller coaster of our league. This is good for him. He is going to learn from this. He’s going to grow from this and come back stronger and better.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.