Frank Ntilikina had his sore groin reevaluated Friday night, but the timing of his return to action did not become any clearer.
Before the Knicks guard misses his 12th straight game Sunday, when the Spurs visit the Garden, the team said Saturday he continues to improve and will progress in his rehab, including running.
The 20-year-old has been out since suffering the injury Jan. 27 against the Heat. Coach David Fizdale said at the time he didn’t see it causing an extended absence, instead estimating “it could be a week or two.”
Now it is nearing a month, the latest setback for the former No. 8-overall pick, who also missed three games in January with a sprained ankle and three games in December while benched after struggling.
Ntilikina had just stepped back into the starting lineup for two games before going down. Since he has been out, the Knicks acquired Dennis Smith Jr. — who went one spot after Ntilikina in the 2017 draft — in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, making minutes for guards even harder to come by whenever Ntilikina returns.
The Knicks will try to avoid making the wrong kind of history Sunday night. A loss to the Spurs would be their 19th straight home loss, matching the 1993-94 Mavericks for the longest home losing streak in NBA history.
“You never want to have your name on that, but I’ve been on both sides of it,” Fizdale said. “That’s not going to be the definition of me as a coach, that’s not going to be the definition of these guys as players. We all go through the ups and downs of this league and sometimes your name gets put on a bad streak. Hell, I’ve been a part of a 27-game winning streak [as an assistant on the 2012-13 Heat]. That’s the league. It’s going to torture you some days and it’s going to give you great rewards some days.”
The last time the Knicks won at the Garden was Dec. 1, in overtime against the first-place Bucks.
DeAndre Jordan sprained his left ankle in practice Saturday and is doubtful for Sunday’s game.
After scoring only five points in the first half Friday night, Kevin Knox found his game after the break, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds.
“To see him be able to not play great in the first half, not really get the ball going in that first half and to really take it upon it himself to get engaged in the game and really shoulder it and get himself involved, that was a nice step for him,” Fizdale said.