Two Knicks Guards Questionable to Play Against Trail Blazers

The uncertainty around Hart and McBride comes at a crucial moment for New York. The Knicks have won four straight games after losing four in a row before that. They're sitting at 29-18 and just dominated Toronto Raptors 119-92 on Jan. 28 behind Mikal Bridges' 30 points.

Hart​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ was technically questionable for the Toronto game as well and then ended up playing, recording 22 points along the way. The ankle soreness after that seemingly still lingered, though, and that is why he is still on the injury report. He was previously out of action for eight games in a row due to an ankle sprain, and the team is still keeping a close eye on ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌him.

McBride's​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ case is a different one. He was on the court for 30 minutes against Sacramento on Jan. 27 and scored nine points. Then, he didn't play in the Toronto game because the team was managing his ankle. Now, he's questionable ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌again.

Robinson Sits Second Night of Back-to-Back

Robinson's absence from the injury report is notable because he sat out of the Raptors game. He played against Sacramento and pulled down 13 rebounds in 27 minutes, including six on the offensive glass. But when the second night of the back-to-back rolled around, he didn't suit up.

This pattern has repeated itself throughout the season. Robinson hasn't played in any back-to-back sets as the Knicks manage his ankle issues. He's leading the NBA with 4.9 offensive rebounds per game despite only playing 19.5 minutes a night. When he's out there, he makes a difference.

The team is strategically resting him on back-to-backs to keep his workload manageable. He talked about these restrictions before, admitting it was rough at first to sit games out. But he said he understands why the plan exists and it's been working so far.

The next game against Portland could test New York's depth. The Trail Blazers are 23-25 and sitting ninth in the Western Conference. If Hart and McBride both sit, the rotation gets thin real quick. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns will need to carry more of the load to keep this winning streak alive and push it to five straight.