NEW YORK — So much for Derrick Rose saving the Knicks season.
Rose, 33, will undergo “a minor procedure” on his ankle, the Knicks said Friday, with his recovery time undetermined.
Rose had surgery in late December to fix a bone spur in his ankle. He missed 30 consecutive games and the Knicks season went down the toilet. Rose returned to full-contact practice this week and Tom Thibodeau was hopeful for an imminent return.
“It’s still a possibility (he plays Friday against the Heat),” Tom Thibodeau said after Thursday’s practice. “We want to make sure he’s ready to go. It’s conditioning. There’s nothing you can do to replicate an NBA game so he’s taking on contact for the first time (Wednesday) and today. He’s got to get used to taking contact. He did everything.”
But obviously, something didn’t feel right.
When Rose was supposed to return and eat up minutes at point guard, Kemba Walker negotiated his departure from the team to “concentrate on next season.” Walker’s still under contract but it’s unlikely he’ll return.
Alec Burks is likely to start at point guard and the Knicks can also fill the reserve holes with Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride.
HEAT: Forward Jimmy Butler has been fined $25,000 for violating league rules regarding media interview access and for his noncompliance with the resulting NBA investigation.
The league announced the fine, saying it stemmed from Butler’s failure to comply with his media availability obligations during the NBA All-Star weekend, including following the game on Sunday night.
A six-time All-Star, Butler had two points and two steals in nine minutes for Team LeBron in its 163-160 victory over Team Durant.
CAVALIERS: Guard Rajon Rondo will miss at least two weeks with a sprained toe, the latest injury to hit the Cavaliers’ backcourt.
Rondo sprained his right big toe in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s loss at Detroit on Thursday night. He didn’t finish the game, and the team said an MRI taken Friday revealed the sprain.
The 36-year-old Rondo, acquired earlier this season after Ricky Rubio tore a knee ligament, made his first start since joining Cleveland. He was forced to have a larger role because All-Star guard Darius Garland needs more rest with a bone bruise in his back.
Also, newly acquired guard Caris LeVert is currently sidelined with a right foot sprain suffered earlier this week when he stepped on a teammate’s foot during practice. He’s expected to miss two weeks.
FRIDAY GAMES
THUNDER 129, PACERS 125 (OT): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and made the decisive 3-point play with 20.4 seconds left in overtime to give visiting Oklahoma City a victory over Indiana.
Tre Mann finished with 22 points to help Oklahoma City snap a two-game losing streak and a five-game skid in the series with its first win in Indiana since March 2019. The Thunder lost at home to NBA-leading Phoenix the night before.
MAGIC 119, ROCKETS 111: Chuma Okeke scored a career-high 26 points to lead Orlando over visiting Houston in a game between the bottom teams in the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences.
Wendell Carter Jr. added 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, who broke a four-game losing streak.
HORNETS 125, RAPTORS 93: Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr. each scored 23 points and Charlotte emerged from the All-Star break looking reenergized with a rout of visiting Toronto.
Montrezl Harrell added 20 points for the Hornets. They never trailed and led by 41 points near the end of the third quarter.
Scottie Barnes had a career-high 28 points for the Raptors.
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