Though he's listed as doubtful for Monday night's road game against the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale believes Frank Ntilikina's back injury isn't severe:
David Fizdale says Frank Ntilikina may miss the next game with his back injury, but the coach doesn't believe it's "severe."
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) December 1, 2019
Ntilikina began to experience upper back soreness in Sunday's matchup against the Celtics. The French point guard was unable to finish the game, logging just seven minutes of action (three points and one assist).
Unfortunately, the Knicks were already short-handed at point guard, as Elfrid Payton (right hamstring) and Kadeem Allen (knee) are currently sidelined with injuries of their own. Payton has been a limited participant in practice sessions and is believed to be recovering well. Dennis Smith Jr. will likely see a heavy workload at the position until his teammates are well enough to return.
Ntilikina has been seeing a lot more playing time this season after being buried in the rotation in recent years. The former first-round pick has made 19 appearances with the Knicks this season (15 starts), racking up averages of 6.5 points on 38.2 percent shooting from the field (33.3 percent from beyond the arc), 3.5 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 26.1 minutes per outing.
New York will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak in Monday night's matchup against Milwaukee. Tip-off inside Fiserv Forum is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
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