Struggling Alec Burks misses Knicks’ win over Pistons with sprained shoulder
Alec Burks has a sprained shooting shoulder and was ruled out of Monday’s 124-99 win over his former team.
The 32-year-old, who has been struggli൲ng with his shot since arriving via trade from the Pistons, pa🍬rticipated in the mo💫rning shootaround with the intention of playing before sitting out, according to Tom Thibodeau.
Despite Burks missing his first game since joining the Knicks, Thibodeau resisted inserting🎶 Shake Milton into the rotation.
Instead, Miles McBride continued to log heavy minutes (43) at shooting🍃 guard and Milton oꦯnly played in garbage time.
Precious Achiuwa and Bojan Bogdanovi𒁏c were the only subs to play at least eight minutes.
🤪Burks, a Thibodeau favorite, is shooting just 32 percent since joining thꦺe Knicks with as many turnovers as assists and the team’s worst net rating (minus-11.5) heading into the Pistons game.
With Burks out and Quentin Grimes also sitting for the Pistons, Bogdanovic and Evan Fournier were the only active players involved in the February trade.
Of the three big injured players for the Knicks, Mཧitchell Robinson, as expected, is the closest to a return, Thibodeau indicated.
The center,ܫ a full participant in a practice last week, “is moving quite well” and “just needs a little bit🌠 more time.”
When a reporter asked if that meant Robinson would return before Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, Thibodea💦u said coyly, “Assuming your assumption is correct, yes.”
🐽Robinson missed his 50th straight game Monday after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his ankle.
On Anunoby, whoseꦗ surgically repaired elbow suffered a setback after he returned to play, Thibodeau said, “He’s basically got to let it calm down. But he went through some stuff [at Monday morning’s shootaround].”
Miles McBride is living up to his first name.
The 23-year-old guard, who got the starting nod again Monday, traveled🌺 56,286 feet in his previous three games whil🎶e averaging a league-high 3.55 miles.
What's happening on and off the Garden court
Sign up for Inside t🌄he Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.
Thank you
Nobody else in the NBA was close.
It’s partly about the minutes — McBride averaged 46.2 𒉰minutes in the three 🦂games before Monday — and having to chase around the opposition’s top perimeter threat on defense.
The Knicks honored Willis Reed with their HBCU Ni𝓀ght on Monday.
Reed, who died a year ago thi🉐s month, attended HBCU institution Grambling State University.
The Garden showed a vignette about The Captain during♓ 🗹the game.