Lost in the hype over Luka Doncic’s insane 60-point triple-double and the Mavericks’ insane comeback win over the Knicks was the fact RJ Barrett left that game with an injured finger.
Barrett is officially out for the Knicks’ game Thursday against the Spurs and will be out “a week or so” with a finger laceration, reports Stefan Bondy at the New York Daily News.
The injury occurred in the first quarter against the Mavericks, when Barrett drove baseline around Doncic and Luka reached out from behind to swipe the ball away but ended up cutting Barrett’s finger in the process. Barrett was bleeding and went straight to the locker room, not to return.
Barrett has averaged 19.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season but hasn’t improved his efficiency in getting up those numbers, with a 53.2 true shooting percentage (several percentage points below the league average).
Barrett’s absence opens the door wider for guards Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, who were critical parts of the Knicks’ recent run of success (they won eight straight before dropping their last four). It also could mean a return of Evan Fournier to the rotation for a few minutes, which makes sense because if the Knicks plan to trade him — they are listening to offers — they will need to showcase him a little for potential suitors over the next month.
