Knicks centers Nerlens Noel and Mitchell Robinson can’t stay healthy. But thankfully the Knicks still have 36-year-old relic Taj Gibson to bail them out on nights like Monday.
With Noel out again with a sprained knee and Robinson aggravating an already balky ankle in the third quarter, Gibson came in and boosted a defense that allowed just 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The third-string center from Brooklyn might become more valuable as the Noel-Robinson injury saga plays out.
Gibson’s box score rarely shows his grit and grind as he scored two points and didn’t have a field goal. But all you need to know was the Knicks were a plus-22 in his 28 minutes on the court.
“Wearing New York across your chest is enough,’’ Gibson said after the Knicks’ come-from-behind victory over the Pacers. “Just going out there trying to just play hard, understanding the ups and downs of the season. A lot of teams are going through the highs and lows and right now, we were in a rut. Just trying to just make a difference. I knew it was gonna be a tough game, knowing how we’ve been laying eggs at home. I’ve been in the league for a long time now, so just trusting my instincts.’’
The Knicks center position hasn’t been a strength. Robinson still is rounding into shape and looked hobbled Saturday in Charlotte. Sure enough, he didn’t make it out of Monday’s game and played 15:51, going 1 of 2 and was a minus-14.
“We’ll see where he’s at,’’ Tom Thibodeau said. “Don’t think it’s serious.’’
He hasn’t been the dominant shot-blocker or alley-oop dunkmaster of his first three years.
And backup center Nerlens Noel can’t stay on the court. He missed his third straight game Monday. He’s played in just 3 ½ games out of 14. The latest is a sprained knee after battling hamstring/knee issues in preseason when he didn’t play in any exhibition contests.
Robinson hasn’t gone extended minutes as he still is battling back from a broken foot suffered last March.
“He’s still working his way through it,’’ Thibodeau said. “Obviously he was out a long period of time. He’s a work in progress in terms of conditioning. He’s banged up a little bit. That’s all normal. If you’re a pro athlete, that’s what happens.’’
Robinson put on muscle weight and might look a little less limber — if much stronger.
“We monitor that pretty closely,’’ Thibodeau said. “As he’s allowed to do more running and conditioning I think that’ll improve as we go.’’
After signing a three-year, $32 million deal, Noel has reverted to his early-career ways of being injury-prone.
Knicks fans on social media are all abuzz second-year power forward Obi Toppin, whose name chanted at the Garden, should play more minutes than the 11 he’s averaging. He’s a fast-break machine with highlight dunks but he has struggled on defense and with his 3-point shot. He was 0 for 2 from 3 Monday to bring his percentage down to 11 percent. In his 15:48 of action he grabbed four rebounds, had two exciting dunks and was a plus-10.
“It’s all based on performance,’’ Thibodeau said. “It’s not an individual thing. It’s a team thing. It’s how the team is functioning and there has to be a balance to offense and defense. That factors into it as well.”