Kanter shakes off injury, crutches
Enes Kanter showed up for the Knicks game with the Hawks on Sunday on crutches. So naturally, he started. “If you’re going to make the playoffs, you’re going to make some sacrifices,” said Kanter, who was feeling the effects of getting kneed in the hip Saturday in Chicago — an injury that left him on crutches for two days. “I was in pain but [the doctors] just literally said, ‘Hey, if you want to play, we’re not going to say don’t play.’
“They just say, ‘OK, it’s your decision.’ ”
So Kanter, who missed three late-November games with back spasms, played — 18 minutes, scoring eight points.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel in the morning — but we got the win, I’m good,” said Kanter, who impressed his teammates.
“This guy came in crutches today. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “He was able to play, starting the game. That guy is unbelievable. He’s a warrior.”
“He’s the first guy I’ve ever seen come to a game on crutches and still start the game and he’s about to leave on crutches,” Jarrett Jack said. “I’ve never seen that before in my 13 years in the league.”
Rookie Frank Ntilikina has had a typically up-anddown start to his rookie season. But Hornacek was impressed with what he saw from the 19-year-old Saturday and again Sunday.
“Frank played with great confidence,” Hornacek said of Saturday. “We want him to be on the attack a little bit more and make a play. It doesn’t have to be a shot. And then when he got some threes, he didn’t hesitate.”
And then Sunday, he was impressed with the rookie, especially when teamed with Ron Baker.
“With Frank and Ron out there, the aggressiveness, both of those guys are really good in the rotations,” Hornacek said. “They rotate right almost every time. Consequently, Frank got a couple of steals out of it. Ron puts pressure on the ball. That combination is very good and I loved what they were doing.”
The Knicks face the Lakers on Tuesday and stage their first Hanukkah Night, celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Ex-Knick Amar’e Stoudemire will light the ceremonial menorah during the first quarter.