Carmelo Anthony, who had a soft tissue fluid collection removed from the back of his right knee on Thursday, is expected to rejoin the New York Knicks in Los Angeles in preparation for their game against the Clippers on Sunday, according to the Knicks.
Anthony flew back to New York following the Knicks' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
The Knicks said that Anthony and Tyson Chandler (left knee contusion) are both questionable for Sunday afternoon's game at 3:30 p.m. There is no status yet on Kenyon Martin, who suffered a knee bone contusion in the Knicks' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
"When a key guy goes down that's a big piece, a major piece to your puzzle, sure you've got to worry," coach Mike Woodson said Thursday on ESPN New York 98.7 FM radio. "There's no doubt I'm worried. There's no doubt that I'm worried about Carmelo. But I'm worried about our team as a whole with how we're playing. Coming out of that Utah game at home, these past two games have been a nightmare for all of us."
With injuries mounting, the Knicks have suffered three straight blowout defeats to the Golden State Warriors, Nuggets and Blazers. While the Knicks remain the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Brooklyn Nets have won four of their past five games and are closing in on the Atlantic Division lead.
In addition, the Knicks have one of the most difficult schedules in the NBA looking ahead. Out of their final 19 games, not including Sunday's matinee, they play the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks twice, as well as Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Chicago and Indiana.