Melo suffering with shoulder injury but Knicks desperate for win.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has revealed that he has suffered a “deep bruise” or “light sprain” in his shoulder, but will face the Miami Heat in their showdown on Sunday night.
The Knicks have slipped back a game behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and defeat on Sunday could deal another blow to their chances.
As a result, they will be desperate to have their star scorer on the court, although after receiving treatment on Saturday it is unclear over how well the 29-year-old has recovered.
Anthony admitted to feeling tightness in his shoulder, and it clearly affected him in the loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday where he committed nine turnovers and was restricted to just 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
“It feels tight,” he said, as reported by ESPN. “It’s hard to lift up; it’s hard to do things.”
“That wasn’t me, that was out of character,” he added.
Anthony initially suffered the knock in the win over city rivals the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the week, and although the Knicks have seen their momentum stunted slightly, he believes that the race for the playoffs will go right down to the wire and that it is still in the Knicks’ hands.
However, his worst performance of the season thus far came at the worst possible time, and the pressure will undoubtedly build on the team if they are unable to get a win over rivals Miami.
Anthony has been the Knicks’ most consistent player this season, but his shoulder will be a worry moving forward as if he is unable to perform at his usual level, it could have a negative impact on the rest of the team.
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