Kanter aims to be back in Knicks lineup

HOUSTON — Enes Kanter is medicated and eager to help his struggling team, but the center also understands he may not be cleared for Monday.

Attempts to numb the pain from back spasms with “hard medication” have helped only to a point, as Kanter said late Saturday he was still struggling to walk. The Knicks certainly missed their top rebounder in his twogame absence, falling meekly to the Hawks and Rockets on the road. It represented the first time New York lost consecutive games since the third game of the season. New York hosts the Blazers on Monday.

“I’m not going to make the decision, (the team doctors) are going to make the decision,” Kanter said. “I’ll play with pain probably 95% of the season, every season. If they think it’s not going to affect me in the long run, it doesn’t matter, I’ll play.”

Kanter’s spasms are more severe than the back tightness that kept Kristaps Porzingis out of Saturday’s loss in Houston. In Porzingis’ case, the Latvian even acknowledged it was something he could’ve pushed through but was worried about playing poorly and causing further damage.

Kanter was visibly bothered while navigating the locker room Saturday.

“I might not be 100% but I think I’m going to try to play Monday,” he said. “If I cannot, it’s out of my hands. If they don’t give me the green light, there’s nothing I can do about it. But I want to play Monday for sure.”

The Knicks (10-9) were outrebounded in both games without Kanter. Most alarmingly, they managed just five and six offensive boards against the Hawks and Rockets, respectively. Kanter averages 3.7 by himself.

Willy Hernangomez’s disappointing performances furthered fears that the youngster’s demotion shook his confidence. In his first meaningful minutes of the season, the backup center averaged five points over the two games, struggled defensively and the Knicks were outscored by 27 points in the 41 minutes he was on the floor.

Kanter’s contributions were missed considerably. After Friday’s loss in Atlanta, he called himself a “crybaby” for allowing the back spasms to keep him from playing. After Saturday’s loss, he was more focused on his return.