The New York Knicks are soon set to face off against the Sacramento Kings at the renowned Madison Square Garden arena. The Knicks had earlier occupied a high seed on the points chart but have slipped a few spots after incurring a four-loss streak. On the other hand, the Sacramento Kings, who occupy the 8 seed on the Western Conference chart, need just two more wins to overtake the Pelicans and the Suns to earn a spot that allows them to qualify for the playoffs. Therefore, the upcoming game comes as a must-win for both teams.

The Knicks will be looking to build up their offensive play, which will prove difficult since most of their lead scorers have been brought down due to injuries. If that wasn’t enough, small forward Josh Hart has now joined their ranks as well. A few hours ahead of the game, ‘The Athletic’ reporter Fred Katz took to his official X account to share an update from the Knicks’ recently released Injury Report. He stated that Josh Hart has been listed as “QUESTIONABLE” in light of his right wrist sprain. Mitchell Robinson, who has been leading the team in terms of average rebounds this season at 8.0, joins him in that category.

Josh Hart’s issue with his right wrist became noticeable during the Knicks’ recent loss against the Miami Heat. According to The New York Post reporter Stefan Bondy, the player was seen “icing” his wrist during the morning shootaround that took place before the game. For someone who had dropped 13 and 12 points during the previous two games, Hart ended up delivering one of his worst performances during the matchup by only scoring 2 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in 46 minutes. While being listed as ‘questionable’ does not rule out his availability, it also does not confirm either.

The unfortunate news continues for the team as Julius Randle and OG Anunoby continue to remain ‘OUT’. While Randle has been on the sidelines due to his injury since late January, Anunoby has been absent since mid-March after developing an elbow injury. With the former being the team’s second-highest scorer and the latter the third, the duo’s combined absence has proven to be a bad stroke of luck for the Knicks, as evident by their recent losses.

The Sacramento Kings, however, seem to have a proper lineup awaiting Jalen Brunson and his uninjured co. According to their Injury Report, only shooting guard Kevin Huerter has been declared out in light of the player’s shoulder injury.

Will Josh Hart’s absence be felt stronger?

Josh Hart has been one of the most consistent players of the ongoing NBA season, appearing in 74 of the 75 games that his team has played till now. While he may not be the best performer on the Knicks, his contribution has definitely helped the franchise reach a position that would allow them to compete in the playoffs.

During his 74 games, the player managed to secure an average of 8.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4 assists. The last 10 games saw the player scoring 10+ rebounds on seven occasions, and his average assists also had a slight growth at the same time. The 4 assists averaged by Hart in each game is the 2 highest by a Knicks player, right behind Jalen Brunson’s 6.6. The Knicks’ small forward has also shown some initiative on the shooting part. His average field throw percentage stands at an impressive 77.5%, while his field goal is at 41.8%. His three-pointer percentage, unfortunately, continues to be listed at 30.5%.

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With that, Hart and his defensive and rebounding presence were/are ones to watch in the clash tomorrow. However, if he fails to make it, the extra minutes are predicted to be awarded to Bojan Bogdanovic (3.6 rebounds) and Alec Burks (3.4 rebounds) as the Knicks forge ahead to pull a stop on their losing streak.

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