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Starting center Mitchell Robinson is sidelined with hand surgery, so it was hardly ideal for the Knicks when Taj Gibson limped into the locker room during the first half on Saturday night.
Nerlens Noel remained in the game after Gibson left, despite three fouls and recorded a season-high 41 minutes as the Knicks claimed a 110-107 victory over the Pacers at the Garden.
“Obviously we needed it, we needed the size, the rim protection,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. “The next man. We have more than enough with the players we have. I know [the front office] will examine the available players. This is their domain. I’m just focused on the guys we have. We will find a way.
At the end of the second quarter, Thibodeau replaced Noel and employed a small ball formation with Julius Randle in center and Kevin Knox, who had recently been benched, briefly returning to the rotation. Rookie forward Obi Toppin was also part of such a roster with Randle, but he only played six minutes.
Starting point keeper Elfrid Payton also missed a second straight game with a strained right hamstring.
Payton is staying hand-to-hand and “making progress,” Thibodeau added, but “he’s not quite ready.” He missed 17 games between October and December last season with a hamstring injury.
“Injury is part of the game. It’s unfortunate. You have to trust your medical staff, trust the player, ”said Thibodeau. “When he says he’s ready to go, he’ll go. I have great confidence in him, I trust him. You want to be smart. “
The Knicks went through the same lineup they used in Thursday’s win over the Kings, meaning Derrick Rose took the start. Thibodeau also stuck with Frank Ntilikina in the rotation after the former lottery pick made his first appearance since Dec. 29 against the Kings.
Rose finished with 17 points, 11 assists and four steals, including a combined defensive turnaround on final possession for Indiana. Ntilikina knocked down two key free throws with 2.9 seconds left to finish with five points in 11 minutes.
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