Melo leaves game with sprained ankle after stepping on ref’s foot
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony left Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics with a sprained right ankle after stepping on the foot of referee Steve Anderson.
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The unfortunate tumble took place late in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game, with New York leading the visiting Celtics by 12 points:
After a missed 3-pointer by Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony began to backtrack on defense, unaware that Anderson was in his path along the sideline. After his awkward misstep, Anthony went down to the ground in evident pain, rolling onto his stomach and staying down, with the Knicks’ training staff attending to him. He got back to his feet, but promptly walked back to the locker room for the remainder of the first half, missing the final 1:16 of the second quarter.
Initial fears that Anthony had suffered a significant injury appeared to be unfounded:
Carmelo Anthony is having is right ankle re-taped and is expected to return.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 13, 2016
But after came out of the locker room at halftime and giving it a go, Anthony asked out of the game just 19 seconds into the third quarter, appearing hobbled:
Carmelo is back on the bench after 19 seconds. Using my keen lip-reading skills, Melo told a trainer, “I can’t push off it.”
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) January 13, 2016
Anthony went to the bench and attempted to loosen up the ankle before heading back to the locker room, marking the end of his evening.
X-rays on Carmelo Anthony’s right ankle were negative. He will not return with a sprained right ankle.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 13, 2016
The negative X-rays are obviously good news for the Knicks, who have prospered of late thanks in large part to Anthony’s excellent all-around form, which has included commitments to rebounding, setting up his teammates and fighting defensively in addition to his customary scoring work. The bad news, though, is that New York now had to face the Celtics without Melo, who had come out of the chute read hot, scoring 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in just 18 minutes of playing time before exiting for good.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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