CLEVELAND – Josh Hart’s troublesome knee will keep him out of Friday night’s big game.
The Knicks’ Swiss Army knife was ruled out before tip-off against the Cavaliers with what the team described as patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee, also known as runner’s knee.
It’s Hart’s second straight DNP coming out of the All-Star break, meaning he hasn’t played in nine days. The forward participated in Tuesday’s practice but not in Wednesday’s session, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.
OG Anunoby, meanwhile, was designated as questionable for the Cavs matchup after missing the previous six games with a sprained foot.
Mitchell Robinson remains out as he rehabs from ankle surgery.
Hart has been navigating knee soreness through much of this season but hadn’t been forced to sit games until Thursday’s against the Bulls, an overtime victory that included Miles McBride’s first start of the season.
Hart has been durable since joining the Knicks two years ago, only missing one game last season while finishing 11th in the NBA in total minutes.
The prognosis for runner’s knee, as NYU Langone physical therapist Charles Homoky told The Post’s Mark W. Sanchez, is positive as it’s a common ailment that “I don’t think is going to derail a season.”
In 2019, while with the Lakers, Hart had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right knee and then underwent an ultrasonic debridement procedure on his patella tendon that ended his second NBA season.
According to the LA Times, Hart had tendinitis in his knee since college while also dealing with a tear in his tendon.
Asked before this All-Star break if the persistent knee pain was something he’d have to handle in the summer, Hart didn’t want to speculate.
“I don’t know. We’ll see what it calls for at the end of the season,” Hart said. “But, like I said before, I’m a servant to (my teammates) this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. It’s not just for them. It’s also for (Tom Thibodeau). I want to make sure that I’m available to him, I want to make sure when I’m out there I’m playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If I’m out there, I’m healthy enough. And I’m good.”
The Knicks, sitting third in the East, haven’t faced the No. 1 Cavs since October in the third game of the season.
Cleveland is fully healthy while the Knicks are missing their engine.
“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Cavs All-Star guard Darius Garland said. “Of course, everyone is thinking about the playoff series that we had with them. But we’re two totally different teams. The Rocket (the Cavs home arena) is going to be rockin’.”
