Skip to content

Carmelo Anthony sat Wednesday with back spasms; 'I've never felt this way before'

Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports

As expected, Carmelo Anthony did not suit up for the New York Knicks when they took on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Anthony is still feeling the effects of back spasms, which flared up in Houston on Monday and are also expected to keep him out of the Knicks' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday (though he's expected to travel to with the team).

Back spasms aren't eminently treatable, so it's difficult to put a timetable on Anthony's recovery, but Marc Berman of the New York Post hinted that the Knicks are worried about the issue potentially lingering throughout the season.

"Most injuries aren’t necessarily acute or traumatic," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. "Maybe there were some things that led up to it. Back spasms isn’t something you can push it or rush. Until you can actually play without actually being in spasm, there isn’t anything you can really do. Hopefully that will be soon."

"I don’t think it will be too long," Anthony said before Wednesday's game. "I think the spasms will go away. But I’m not going to play with spasms. ... These things are hard to gauge. I don't know how long I'll be out." 

Anthony said he still feels sore and stiff, adding that he'd never experienced back spasms up to now and doesn't know what brought them on. 

"I've never felt this way before. Nothing happened (in Houston) that I can remember."  

Asked about the possibility of playing on Friday, he said "I just don't know. It's too far ahead for me to even think about right now."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox