On Monday night, Carmelo Anthony couldn’t even speak, take a drink, or scratch his head due to intense back spasms. So, the fact Anthony participated in a fairly normal pregame workout on Friday night in Oklahoma City is a significant development.
“I’m just happy that I can get a little light workout in today and just really work towards getting back out there on the court,” Anthony explained to reporters prior to the Knicks contest against the Thunder.
Anthony was forced to leave the game in Houston after he landed on a routine jumper and suddenly felt immense pain due to back spasms. The severity of the situation led to Anthony making a trip to a local hospital to receive medication just so he could make the plane ride to Dallas. He did not suit up for New York in the overtime defeat to the Mavericks on Wednesday evening. Friday night was the first time Anthony was able to muster up the power to step back on the floor.
“From not being able to straighten my back up to not even being able to get out of bed to walking and shooting a little bit, so I’ve made huge strides in the past couple of days,” Anthony stated.
The All-Star was told the back spasms are not related to a previous injury and it’s muscle related as opposed to a disk issue. Unfortunately, he’s still dealing with some spasms as the medical staff is attempting to alleviate the pain. Anthony will not play against the Thunder and will miss his second straight game.
“I’m worried about how my back is going to react to what I just did right now, so I’ll go in there and get some more treatment and see how it feels tonight and the morning,” Anthony answered when discussing the possibility of appearing in Sunday’s contest at MSG.
The Knicks will travel tomorrow morning back to New York and face the Heat on Sunday night at the Garden. Stay tuned to NYKnicks.com and @NYKnicks.com for coverage.