Frank Ntilikina is finally out of the trainer’s room, but he’ll have to wait a little longer to get back on the court.
For the first time since Dec. 29, when he sprained his right knee against the Cavaliers, Ntilikina was available off the bench Sunday night, though he didn’t play as the Knicks fell to the Trail Blazers 116-113 in Portland.
“He’ll be situational initially, we’ll see how it goes,” coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “We like what he brings to the team.”
Ntilikina, who is set to be a restricted free agent this summer, had solidified the backup point guard job right before he was injured, then missed 13 straight games. While he was out, rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley returned from his own injury and became Elfrid Payton’s backup with a knack for bringing an offensive spark off the bench, as he did again Sunday with a team-high 31 points.
It remains to be seen how Thibodeau will use Ntilikina after being eased back in, but first the French combo guard had to worry about getting his conditioning back.
“There was a progression to his comeback,” Thibodeau said. “He’s gotten some contact on this trip. We’ve had an opportunity to get some practices in. Even in situations in which we can get work in three-on-three with some of the guys that haven’t played big minutes, we try to take advantage of that as well. So he has gotten some contact, but conditioning-wise, probably not quite ready yet.”
The game before Ntilikina got hurt, the defensive specialist had drained 4 of 4 3-pointers in the Knicks’ blowout win over the Bucks. The latest injury was all too familiar for the fourth-year pro, who has battled to stay healthy throughout his career.
After missing the first two games of the road trip with a sore right Achilles, veteran guard Austin Rivers returned and recorded three points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench.
“He’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said.
Reggie Bullock missed the game with a sore neck and was replaced in the starting lineup by Alec Burks. Bullock, the veteran wing who has started 15 games this season while missing two games with a hip injury, did not play at all in the fourth quarter Friday against the Kings.
