PHILADELPHIA — The damage was done.
The Knicks ruled rim-protecting big man and rebounding machine Mitchell Robinson out for Game 4 of their first-round playoff matchup against the 76ers due to a sprained left ankle.
Robinson, who underwent surgery after sustaining a stress fracture on his left ankle on Dec. 8, re-injured the ankle in the first half of the Knicks’ Game 3 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
He left the arena in a walking boot and did not participate in practice on Saturday before warming up with the intention of playing in Game 4 on Sunday, but walked off the court with a slight limp into the locker room before the team ruled him out 4 a half-hour before tipoff.
With Robinson out, starting center Isaiah Hartenstein faced a tough task of defending the NBA’s reigning MVP Joel Embiid without his normal backup help. Hartenstein played most of Game 3 in foul trouble and finished with five fouls. Precious Achiuwa also played 10 second-half minutes after Robinson left the game and picked up three fouls in his short stint.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau also suggested third-year center Jericho Sims could be in play for minutes if Robinson couldn’t play on Sunday.
“We need everybody,” said Thibodeau. “So whether it’s Precious or Jericho, we’ve dealt with that all season long. Mitch missed the majority of the season so whoever’s next, get in there and get the job done.”
Robinson missed three-and-a-half months and 51 games during the regular season due to ankle surgery but returned as a capable presence defending Embiid before his injury in the series. He recorded 12 rebounds and four blocks in the Knicks’ Game 1 victory and had seven rebounds in 12 minutes prior to leaving Game 4 with a sprained left ankle.
His injury came as the result of a number of questionable plays made by Embiid, who picked up a flagrant foul for pulling Robinson by the leg while he jumped in the air for a dunk.
Robinson averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals in 31 games this season.
