Carmelo Anthony injury: Knicks star out vs. Pistons

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will miss a game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night to rest a minor knee injury, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. An MRI showed that fluid buildup in Anthony's right knee had caused stiffness, and coach Mike Woodson said on Tuesday that he would rest his star forward if need be.

Anthony was questionable heading into the game against the Pistons in the Palace of Auburn Hills. Woodson said earlier in the day that he would start Tyson Chandler, Kurt Thomas, James White, Iman Shumpert and Ray Felton if Anthony was unavailable, according to Posting and Toasting.

He first encountered problems in a 102-97 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, leaving the game in the first half after 14 minutes of action. Though Anthony tweaked the knee during the game, forcing him to the locker room, he said afterward that soreness and stiffness had been bothering him for a few days leading into the game at Cleveland.

So the Knicks will be without their 28.2-points-per-game scorer for the time being, though Woodson told ESPN New York that when Anthony returns, he hopes to cut down on the forward's minutes anyway. Heading into Wednesday, the NBA's second leading scorer was 13th in the NBA by averaging 37.8 minutes per game.

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