The New York workhorse had a rough night at Indianapolis. The NY Knicks guard Josh Hart suffered an unusual discomfort in his abdomen region throughout the first half of Game 6. Notably, the 29-year-old star seemed to have taken a blow from the Indiana Pacers big man Pascal Siakam during a rebound attempt in the first quarter.

Hart was seen holding to his abdomen in grave pain for the entirety of the first half. The star, who has a reputation for playing long minutes, didn’t start the second quarter because of the injury. Nevertheless, after the break, he returned to the court in the second quarter with his abdomen tapped up.

The tapping work didn’t seem to help the guard as he struggled in the second half as well. And eventually, amid the Pacers’ offensive surge in the fourth quarter, Josh Hart returned to the locker room around the 8th-minute mark.

A recent report revealed that the star suffered an abdominal soreness in that grave impact and has been ruled out of the remainder of the game. Despite the discomfort, Hart played for 31 minutes, dropping 5 points with 8 rebounds. While it was reported that the collision with Pascal Siakam caused the injury, the latest replay showed another story.

During the first quarter, the Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard shoved his elbow on Hart during a rebounding attempt. It didn’t directly impact the star but it was the first instance of Hart, holding on to his abdomen. Eventually, the collision with Siakam could have aggravated the injury.

While there isn’t any official update on the severity of the injury, the Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau showed positive signs on Hart’s return during the game. He said, “He’s a tough guy. He’ll get through it.” However, the team will need the tough guard for the crucial Game 7 at MSG to decide their fate in the postseason.

Amid another injury concern, Knicks head into series decider at MSG

The Knicks have almost played the entire season short-handed. They lost both their big men, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, for a major chunk of the season. During their absence, Josh Hart was at the receiving end. The guard, who usually played less-minutes on the court, was asked to do overtime.

This season he holds the record for playing the most minutes in a game. He has played the entire 48 minutes multiple times this season, and he stands in 11th place for most minutes played in the season, averaging 33 minutes per game. Despite the workload, Hart doesn’t seem to consider it a burden.

In a recent interaction with the press, speaking of his increased play time, he said, “Yeah, I can play 7 games straight without rest, the real tired people wake up at 6 am to work 12-hour shifts.” Nevertheless, the Knicks would need the tough-hearted guard for the series decider to continue their run in the postseason.

Will he make a return in Game 7? Let us know in the comments below.