BOSTON — Knicks sharpshooter Steve Novak is inactive for Game 6 with back spasms, and could potentially miss a Game 7 on Sunday as well.
“I just think [his back] went out, locked up on him [in Game 5],” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “He couldn’t come back after the halftime, so we’ve got to move on.”
As for Novak potentially playing Sunday at Madison Square Garden, Woodson said, “He’s day-to-day.”
The Knicks could opt to use 28-year-old rookie Chris Copeland off the bench in Novak’s place but he has yet to score a point in the series.
“That can possibly happen,” Woodson told reporters, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “It’s based on matchups. … They’ve made some changes in terms of their personnel in that second quarter. So we’ve just got to gauge it on that and just see.”
Meantime, Woodson said Amar’e Stoudemire (right knee debridement) likely wouldn’t play in a Game 7 Sunday. He hasn’t played since March 7.
“No, I don’t think he’s at that stage yet of playing a game,” Woodson said. “We gotta get to the second round.”
With the Rangers playing Monday and Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks could play either a Game 1 or a Game 2 of the semifinals on Tuesday, assuming they win this series.
