And then there were seven.
After injuries to key players and a trade deadline move that sent four players to the Detroit Pistons for two players ineligible to suit up on Thursday, the Knicks entered their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks with just eight players available to compete ahead of tipoff.
Isaiah Hartenstein became the latest Knick to leave the court with an injury in their 122-108 loss.
The Knicks already had a lengthy injured list entering Thursday’s matchup against the Mavericks: Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder), OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) were already ruled out before head coach Tom Thibodeau announced Jalen Brunson (sprained right ankle) and Jericho Sims (illness) as late scratches.
And with Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and Malachi Flynn on outbound flights after a package deal sent them to Detroit in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, an already depleted Knicks roster stretched itself even more thin.
Now, Hartenstein’s availability could be in jeopardy, too,
Mavericks forward Dwight Powell contested Hartenstein’s layup at the rim at the 1:36 mark of the second quarter but landed on the back of Hartenstein’s left leg.
Hartenstein came up limping then played the remaining minute-plus of the first half but never came back to the court for the second half.
Shortly after, the Knicks ruled Hartenstein out for the remainder of the game with a sore left Achilles.
It’s an aggravation of the same injury that cost Hartenstein two games in recent weeks. He missed a Jan. 23 matchup against the Nets at Barclays Center, plus the ensuing game against the tired Denver Nuggets team on Jan. 25.
The Knicks listed Hartenstein as out with left Achilles tendinopathy for those two games. They have just three more games leading into the week-long NBA All-Star break, but two of the three opponents (Indiana and Orlando) are above-.500 Eastern Conference playoff opponents. The third is a Houston Rockets team competing for a Play-In Tournament spot out West.
But it’s concerning, to say the least, for a team that once touted its center depth as the best in all of basketball. Hartenstein is playing on a gimpy Achilles, and Robinson won’t return to on-court activities following his ankle surgery until after the All-Star break.
That leaves Precious Achiuwa, who has played well in recent games, Sims, who is battling an illness, and Taj Gibson, who is 38 years old an on a 10-day contract.
The Knicks lost Thursday’s matchup against the Mavericks, marking just their fourth loss since trading for OG Anunoby on Jan. 1.
With Brunson out, Donte DiVincenzo led the way with 36 points and made seven threes on 12 tries. Josh Hart recorded his second career triple double (23 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) with both coming this season, Miles McBride added 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Achiuwa added 13 points and 16 rebounds.
It was a valiant effort for a depleted Knicks roster but no match for the super-scoring Mavericks, powered by 39 points and seven threes from Luka Doncic. Five Mavericks players scored in double digits. Kyrie Irving finished with 16 points on 17 attempts, and ex-Knicks wing Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points off the bench.
Doncic electrified the Madison Square Garden with a flurry of fourth-quarter threes that stifled a Knicks attempt at a late-game rally. Yet on the possession following a Doncic step-back three, plus a flex on the crowd, the Knicks forced a turnover by sending the double team when he attempted to hero-ball his way into a heat check.
And given the shorthanded roster, minutes piled for those available to play on Thursday. McBride and DiVincenzo, for example, played 45 and 43 minutes, respectively.
Hart played a hair 39 minutes and the 38-year-old Taj Gibson, on a 10-day contract, played 22 minutes off the bench. So did Charlie Brown Jr., who spends most of his time in the G-League with the Westchester Knicks but chipped in to give the Knicks a lift on Thursday.
Jacob Toppin, younger brother of ex-Knick Obi Toppin and a contestant in the upcoming NBA Slam Dunk Contest, also get the nod and scored his first NBA points fittingly on a putback dunk.
The Knicks have two days to rest up before hosting the Pacers. They then travel to Houston, then Orlando, for their final two games before the All-Star break.
