The Knicks may have come out smelling like roses in beating the Hornets on Friday, but they had to finish the game without Derrick Rose.
Rose hurt his left ankle after stepping on Kemba Walker’s foot. He departed with 4:19 left in the third quarter and never returned. Rose was not in the locker room after the 110-107 Garden victory, so it’s unclear if he left on crutches.
“It’s nothing major,’’ coach Jeff Hornacek said. “He’ll be back whenever sprained ankles heal. Could be the next game, could be two, three games.’’
Rose has missed six contests this season with back spasms and the club has struggled with Brandon Jennings as starter. Ironically, Rose’s surgically repaired knees have held up. Rose didn’t get embarrassed by Walker, the Bronx native who shot 13-of-29 to score 31 points and also had 10 rebounds and five assists.
Rose, who finished with 13 points and four assists, will not be going to the All-Star Game even though five Eastern Conference point guards will be there.
Jennings replaced Rose and played an excellent fourth quarter to finish with 15 points and three assists. Jennings was a plus-12 while Rose was a team-worst minus-14.
Carmelo Anthony weighed in on being denied an All-Star spot for the first time since 2009 with Kevin Love, Paul Millsap and Paul George named the East’s frontcourt reserves.
“It’s little disappointing, but at this point I have bigger things to worry about,’’ Anthony said. “As a competitor you want to participate in this, knowing how much fun it is, being out there and enjoying that break. That’s something I’ll miss also.’’
Anthony wasn’t sure if it was the Knicks’ losing record that kept him out.
“I don’t want to get into what happened — I don’t know,’’ Anthony said.
Heading to a warm island is now on the agenda.
“I’m going to enjoy the seven-day break,’’ Anthony said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I’m going to do it.’’
Hornacek said he texted Anthony on Thursday night to tell him he thought he “probably deserved [to be] on an All-Star team. He understands it, it affects him, but I expect him to come out and play well.”