The Knicks could be without a trio of players in their preseason finale against the Washington Wizards on Friday. Joakim Noah is out with an illness per Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com. Meanwhile, Jeff Hornacek could opt not to play Kristaps Porzingis and rookie Frank Ntilikina, Barbara Barker of Newsday reports.

According to Hornacek, he likely wouldn’t have played Noah anyway even he wasn’t sick. Noah is suspended for the first 12 games of the regular season.

As for Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina, Hornacek is just taking extra precaution with their health ahead of the regular season. Porzingis suffered a hip injury earlier in preseason, while Ntilikina has been dealing with a knee issue.

“I don't know if either of them plays at this point,” Hornacek said, according to Newsday. “I think when you start playing regular-season games, then you know the hope is guys know how to play when they're a little sore as long as they're not making it worse. I think in exhibition season, we're a little more cautious.”

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It would be a wise move on Hornacek’s part to hold out Kristaps Porzingis in what is essentially an inconsequential exhibition game. Porzingis has already played extensively this summer with Latvia during EuroBasket, and has a history of picking up niggling injuries.

It would be in the Knicks’ best interest to get their young star as close to 100 percent healthy ahead of the regular season.

The Knicks begin their regular season campaign on Oct. 19 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.