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Player Notes

  • Pascal Siakam scores 14 points in Game 2 loss
    Pascal Siakam shot 7-of-18 from the field and 0-of-2 from the foul line in Wednesday’s 130-121 loss to the Knicks, scoring 14 points with nine rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot in 36 minutes.

    Advice: After shooting 73.2% from the foul line during the regular season, Siakam has been even worse in the playoffs. He missed both attempts in Game 2, falling to 16.7% (1-of-6) for the series. Add in the six games against the Bucks, and Siakam is now 7-of-28 (25%) for the postseason. The Knicks potentially losing OG Anunoby to a hamstring injury will impact how they defend Siakam, with Precious Achiuwa taking on the responsibility down the stretch of Game 2. Regardless of who’s defending Spicy P, he must be much better at the foul line. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:22 pm
  • Donte DiVincenzo hits six 3-pointers, scores 28
    Donte DiVincenzo accounted for 28 points (10-of-20 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and six 3-pointers in 43 minutes in Wednesday’s 130-121 win over the Pacers.

    Advice: The Knicks held serve at home in the first two games, and DiVincenzo’s improved play is one reason. The “Big Ragu” has been on a bit of a heater, with his run of three straight games of 23 points or more beginning with the Game 6 win over Philadelphia. In the first two games against the Pacers, DiVincenzo has scored 53 points on 20-of-37 shooting from the field (11-of-21 from three). Indiana doesn’t defend as well as Philadelphia, especially on the wings, and the Knicks have taken advantage. DiVincenzo will look to keep his run going in Game 3 on Friday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:55 pm
  • Josh Hart records 19/15/7/1/1 line in Game 2 win
    Josh Hart played all 48 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, accumulating 19 points (8-of-12 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), 15 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-pointer.

    Advice: Hart has played every minute of the Knicks’ last two games and has shown no signs of slowing down. If there has been an issue for him, it’s the turnovers, as he was responsible for five more on Wednesday. That said, Hart has done enough across the board to minimize the impact of those mistakes. The Knicks head to Indiana with a 2-0 lead, but injuries suffered by Jalen Brunson (foot) and OG Anunoby (hamstring) could put even more responsibility on Hart’s plate for Friday’s Game 3. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:50 pm
  • Jalen Brunson (foot) returns, scores 29 points
    Jalen Brunson (sore right foot) shot 11-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line in Wednesday’s 130-121 win over the Pacers, tallying 29 points, two rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three 3-pointers in 32 minutes.

    Advice: Brunson endured an injury scare during the first half of Game 2, exiting with 3:32 remaining in the first quarter. An apparent sore foot kept him in the locker room through halftime, but the Knicks point guard returned for the start of the third quarter. And it’s a good thing he did, as Brunson took over in the second half to lead the Knicks in scoring again. While his streak of 40-point games concludes, the Knicks taking a 2-0 series lead to Indianapolis is more important. Also, the Knicks are 6-1 in “clutch games” (games with a margin of five points or less with five minutes remaining) this postseason. Brunson said he’ll try to be available for Game 3 on Friday, so consider him questionable. Rotoworld Yesterday, 7:39 pm
  • Hurts hamstring, won't return
    Anunoby has been ruled ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday's Game 2 against the Pacers with left hamstring soreness. He finished with 28 points (10-19 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-6 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one block in 28 minutes prior to departing.

    Advice: Anunoby went straight to the locker room and was grabbing at his left hamstring after a shot attempt late in the third period. He'll be unable to return to the contest, and given the nature of his injury, his availability for Friday's Game 3 in Indiana would seem to be in jeopardy. The Knicks have already been running a thin rotation with the likes of Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) and Julius Randle (shoulder) having been ruled out for the season, so head coach Tom Thibodeau may need to call upon reserves such as Precious Achiuwa, Miles McBride and Alec Burks to take on more minutes if Anunoby can't play in Game 3. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 6:59 pm
    OG AnunobyNYK - SG,SF
    New Player Note
    GTD
  • Nikola Jokic wins third career MVP award
    Nikola Jokic was named winner of the KIA NBA Most Valuable Player award.

    Advice: Jokic winning the award, the third of his career, is unsurprising. The 7-footer from Serbia has won the award three times in the last four seasons, finishing second the one time he did not (2023). During the regular season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.1 3-pointers per game, recording 25 triple-doubles. Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas’ Luka Doncic rounded out the top three in the voting. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished fourth, with Jalen Brunson coming in fifth. Rotoworld Yesterday, 4:39 pm
  • Suffers torn Achilles
    Antetokounmpo recently sustained a torn Achilles' tendon and is set to undergo surgery in the near future, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Antetokounmpo has a long road ahead of him, with the recovery timeline from Achilles surgery for basketball players typically ranging from 9-to-12 months before a return to game action. His upcoming Achilles procedure will prevent him from competing alongside younger brother Giannis with the Greek national team in July in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, and he'll likely be in line to miss most, if not all, of the 2024-25 NBA season. The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 4.6 minutes per game over 34 appearances in 2023-24. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 3:23 pm
  • Won't play Thursday
    Wade (knee) won't suit up for Thursday's Game 2 matchup with Boston.

    Advice: Wade has been out of commission for two months now, and with no positive updates to speak of, it's safe to assume he's still not close. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 2:41 pm
    Dean WadeCLE - SF,PF
    New Player Note
    INJ
  • Won't play in Game 2
    Jerome (ankle) has been ruled out for Game 2 versus the Celtics on Thursday.

    Advice: Jerome has not logged a single minute this postseason as he continues to recover from ankle surgery, and there aren't any indications that that'll change anytime soon. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 2:37 pm
    Ty JeromeCLE - PG,SG
    New Player Note
    INJ