NEW YORK -- Point guard Raymond Felton left Wednesday's game against Milwaukee briefly in the second half due to discomfort in his left hamstring.
The ailment is a bit concerning for New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson because Felton injured the same hamstring on Oct. 17 in a preseason game against Washington.
"I've got to see how he feels [Thursday] because that's something that you don't want to play with," Woodson said.
The coach suggested that if Felton is in discomfort, he could be held out of the game against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.
"If it's hurting him then we'll talk about it and make a decision before game time," Woodson said.
Felton, who scored 18 points and had three steals, three assists and three turnovers against Milwaukee, believes he will take the court against the Bulls.
"It just tightened up on me," he said after the Knicks' win over the Bucks. "I'm going [to play]. Regardless, I'll be out there."
He tweaked the injury midway through the third quarter but returned to the game in the fourth.
"Hopefully it goes away. It's one of those things where it can last 2-3 days but it can last up to six weeks," he said. "Hopefully one day I wake up and it's just gone. Right now, it's just a nagging thing that I've got to just deal with."
If Felton can't play against Chicago, Pablo Prigioni may start at point guard.
ICE FOR MELO: Carmelo Anthony had a big bag of ice on his left shoulder after playing 38 minutes against the Bucks but said it was only for precautionary purposes.
Anthony suffered a partial tear in the rotator cuff and labrum of his left shoulder last April. He opted to rehab the injury rather than repair it via surgery.
SUSPENSION BEGINS FOR J.R.: J.R. Smith began serving his five-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy on Wednesday. Woodson expects Smith to be on the court when the suspension ends Nov. 10 against San Antonio. ... Kenyon Martin played against the Bucks Wednesday, so Amar'e Stoudemire will make his season debut against the Bulls on Thursday. Woodson plans to alternate Stoudemire and Martin on back-to-backs. ... Knicks GM Steve Mills said he will not comment on Anthony's pending free-agency. Mills also said that he may restructure the front office but has not done so yet.
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