The New York Knicks could be shorthanded against the Boston Celtics on Sunday as Marcus Morris deals with neck problems.
According to the NBA injury report, Marcus Morris is questionable with cervical spasms for Sunday’s matinee against his former team. The New York Knicks and Celtics will square off for the third time this season.
Morris has been one of the most consistent Knicks this season, averaging 18.7 points on a league-leading 52.4% clip from three-point range. although Julius Randle was signed to be “the guy” for New York, Morris has emerged as their most consistent offensive player.
In addition to Morris, the Jets will be without point guard Elfrid Payton. The veteran has missed the last 11 games with a right hamstring strain and his eventual return is still unclear.
In his absence, Frank Ntilikina has taken a firm hold on the starting point guard job. Dennis Smith Jr. is currently serving as the backup, but he is having trouble developing any kind of consistency. Smith is averaging 5.1 points on 34.3/31.8/54.5 shooting splits.
The Knicks are winless against the Celtics this season and face another tough test on Sunday. Head coach David Fizdale‘s squad has lost five in a row and fallen to a season-worst 11 games below .500. Morris, Randle, and a host of other free agents were brought in so the Knicks could compete this season. That clearly isn’t happening so far.
The fourth and final game of the season series will take place in Boston on March 18. Following the trade deadline, the Knicks’ roster could look awfully different for that matchup.
