Two games into his return from December ankle surgery, Mitchell Robinson already is out of the lineup for the Knicks with an injury to the same ankle.
Robinson suffered a sprained left ankle in Friday’s loss in San Antonio, and he was ruled out for Sunday night’s last-second loss to the Thunder at the Garden.
“He just tweaked it, we’ll see where he is [on Monday],” Tom Thibodeau said before the game.
Robinson played 19 minutes off the bench Friday night after logging 12 minutes over two shifts two nights earlier in Toronto in his first appearance since Dec. 8.
With Isaiah Hartenstein fouling out, the 25-year-old Robinson played almost the entire overtime (all but 12 seconds) against the Spurs after landing awkwardly while going up for an offensive rebound in regulation.
“We’re getting right back to the action. … Come back like a champ,” Robinson said after finishing the Spurs game, while often defending rookie big man Victor Wembanyama. “Timing is off. It’s brutal. I think I was playing really well [before the injury]. Then sitting out the four months, it throws your whole timing off.
“But it is what it is. I’m not going to use that as an excuse. I can be better. I’m a basketball player. I’ve been in this six years.”
Julius Randle (shoulder) and OG Anunoby (elbow) remained out for the Knicks, although Alec Burks (shoulder) and Hartenstein (wrist) were available.
Thibodeau said Randle and Anunoby are “basically the same,” meaning neither has been cleared for contact.
The Knicks, who remained a half-game behind the Cavaliers for the No.3 playoff position in the Eastern Conference, have eight games remaining beginning Tuesday against the Heat in Miami.
Anunoby came back and played three games from March 12-16 after missing six weeks following elbow surgery, but he missed his seventh consecutive game Sunday due to elbow inflammation.
Asked if there is any concern that Anunoby might not make it back before the end of the regular season, Thibodeau replied, “We just deal with reality, day-to-day. … When he’s strong enough, he gets out there.”
While Anunoby at least made it back to the lineup briefly, Randle still is awaiting medical clearance after dislocating his right shoulder Jan. 27 against the Heat.
“Just keep doing what he’s doing, day-to-day,” Thibodeau said. “You never know when it turns. That’s basically the approach we take.
“Rehab is really your game, so put everything you have into that. And eventually you’ll get there; you can’t get discouraged; just keep working at it. The other guys, they have a job to do.”
All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) was in the lineup for the Thunder, who began the day tied with the Timberwolves for the best record in the West.
With Robinson sidelined, the Knicks have relied upon Hartenstein, Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims to fill the minutes at center.
Rookie big man Chet Holmgren is averaging 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds for Oklahoma City, but he also has made 1.6 3-pointers per game in 73 appearances.
“They move people around. He plays on the baseline a little bit. He plays all over the floor,” Thibodeau said. “The versatility of your bigs, that’s a big part of that.
“That’s what we do like about Josh [Hart], we like that about Precious — where they can guard up and down. OG does the same. There are situations … it depends on your personnel.”
Burks scored five points in 12 minutes after missing the previous three games with a shoulder sprain