Knicks Josh Hart not ruled out to play against Heat after ankle injury

Josh Hart already has been dealing with multiple injuries, but the versatile Knicks wing has not yet been ruled out of Wednesday’s game in Miami.Hart played Monday night against the Cavaliers after being listed as questionable with an ankle impingement, but he left the game with four minutes left in the fourth quarter following a midcourt collision.Hart was designated as questionable again for the Heat game with what the team now classified as a lower leg contusion.Hart has averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 33 minutes per game in three starts this season.If he is unable to play Wednesday night, he likely would be replaced in the starting lineup by Miles McBride.With just under five minutes remaining in Monday’s loss to the Cavs, Hart collided with Caris LeVert while battling for a loose ball and fell to the floor in pain.

He remained in the game briefly and sank two free throws, but came out of the game at the next timeout and hobbled back to the locker room with 4:04 remaining.Hart didn’t return to the bench or speak to reporters afterward, finishing the game with 16 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes.“Anybody that doesn’t finish the game it’s hard to see and you want your brothers out there finishing the game with you,” teammate Jalen Brunson said.“I mean, we’ll see.

Don’t know what’s the situation, but we’ll see going forward.”With two new starters after trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, Hart had admitted to being unsure of his role during the preseason.But he has posted a double-double in each of the team’s past two games.“You know it’s going to be the same no matter what,” Thibodeau said of Hart.

“Like, whether he starts, comes off the bench, you know he’s going to fit in.And he’s been around.

So there’s just, in preseason, new pieces.You gotta go through it.”Kevin Love (personal reasons) is out for the Heat....