Is Josh Hart Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Knicks vs. Cavaliers)

The latest injury update for New York Knicks guard Josh Hart on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

UPDATE: Josh Hart has been RULED OUT for Friday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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New York Knicks do-it-all wing Josh Hart did not play in the team's overtime win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, putting into question his status for Friday night's marquee matchup with the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks, the No. 3 seed in the East, are eight games back of the Cavs in the standings heading into Friday's road contest. Oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook have set the Knicks as 8.5-point underdogs in the matchup, a sign that New York may not be at full strength on Friday.

Hart was ruled out with a knee injury a day before the Knicks' game against Chicago. While the former Villanova star had the All-Star break to rest up, it appears that the Knicks are playing things safe with Hart.

“Just knee soreness,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hart's injury.

Thursday's game marked just the second time in the 2024-25 season that Hart has not been in the lineup for the Knicks. However, he has popped up on the injury report with a knee issue several times through the campaign.

“We’ll see where he is going forward,” Thibodeau said. “You trust the medical people, the player. So when they’re ready to go, they go, and if they’re not ready to go, they don’t go.”

If Hart sits, the Knicks will likely turn to Precious Achiuwa or Miles McBride in the starting lineup against Cleveland. The Knicks were also without OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson (who has yet to make his season debut) on Thursday night. So, there's a chance that this Knicks team could be extremely shorthanded on the second night of a back-to-back.

So far this season, the Knicks are just 2-6 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back. That doesn't bode well for them against a Cleveland team that is 19-10 against the spread when favored at home and has the second-best net rating at home (+13.0) in the NBA.

For what it's worth, oddsmakers have posted player props for Hart ahead of Friday night's game -- a potential sign that they expect him to take the floor.

We will update this story once Hart's official injury status is released for Friday's game. The Knicks, since they are playing a back-to-back, have yet to release an injury report for Friday's action.

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