A sprained right ankle kept New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony out of Saturday night's 104-92 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, depriving fans of a matchup between two of the best small forwards in the NBA: Anthony and Kevin Durant.
Anthony suffered the injury Thursday night during the third quarter of the Knicks' 94-83 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Knicks say he is day to day.
Starting in place of Anthony was Knicks backup swingman Bill Walker, who said during training camp that his goal was to start this season. He scored three points and grabbed seven boards in 21 minutes against the Thunder.
Walker had played in all 11 games for the Knicks, averaging 5.5 points in 20 minutes of action. He matched his season-high with 14 points against the Grizzlies, connecting on four 3-pointers.
Anthony's ankle sprain is not the first one the Knicks' training staff has had to treat. Amare Stoudemire had one in a loss to the Lakers on Dec. 29 and missed the next two games. Also this season, Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby have had minor injuries, and they're starting to regain their form. And the team is still without Baron Davis (herniated back disc) and Jared Jeffries (sore right calf).
Jared Zwerling is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.