The Knicks and 76ers are opening up NBA preseason action in Abu Dhabi with a pair of games Thursday and Saturday as part of the league’s expanding global reach. These are two teams that could very well meet in the playoffs — perhaps even the Eastern Conference finals — if both sides stay healthy enough. But health has been an issue for both teams in the last few years, and Thursday afternoon was no different.
In the early minutes of the second quarter, Knicks guard Josh Hart went to corral a rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Sixers rookie Johni Broome. Hart fell to the ground shortly after getting the rebound, and a jump ball was called after Sixers’ Kennedy Chandler tied up the ball with Hart. As the official called for the jump ball, Hart, threw the ball into the air across the court and was writhing in pain as it appeared he tweaked his back in the midst of it all. Though Hart appeared to toss the ball in frustration, the official gave Hart a technical foul and decided it was grounds for an immediate ejection, too.
Here’s how it played out:
It’s a pretty head-scratching situation given Hart was injured on the play and appeared to throw the ball as a way to get Chandler away from him while he was in pain. But the official clearly didn’t view it that way. Hart limped back to the locker room after getting off the floor, and will surely be evaluated in the near future.
The hope is that the injury isn’t anything serious and that Hart will just need to rest of a short period of time. But if he is required to miss some time, that’s a pretty big loss for the Knicks before the regular season starts. In many ways, Hart is the — no pun intended — heart of the Knicks, especially on defense. He’s a do-it-all player who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line, as evidenced from this play he got injured on.
Hart’s already dealing with a finger injury that will require him to wear a splint this season after having surgery on it during the summer. Adding a back injury to the list wouldn’t be ideal for a Knicks team that has championship aspirations after reaching the Eastern Conference finals a season ago.