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Josh Hart, New York Knicks

The Knicks got control of the series Wednesday night, but one moment late in the game changed the feel inside the building.

Josh Hart suddenly walked off in visible discomfort.

For a team leaning hard on grit, flexibility, and huge minutes from its core, any playoff injury scare hits differently. Hart’s injury scare quickly became one of the biggest talking points coming out of Game 2.

Josh Hart’s injury update gives the Knicks some relief after Game 2 scare

Hart exited late in the third quarter against the 76ers with a left-hand injury and headed to the locker room. The concern only grew because he was clearly hurting, and Landry Shamet was the player who stepped in after Hart left the floor.

Stefan Bondy posted the update that made every Knicks fan tense up. “Hart has hurt his left hand. He’s in a lot of pain and going to the opposite side of the court, which probably means x-ray,” Bondy wrote on X.

There was at least some good news after that. CBS Sports reported Hart “briefly exited Wednesday’s game with a hand issue, but he was cleared to return after getting checked on in the locker room and was able to close the match, so he should be fine for Game 3 on Friday.”

There is still no official diagnosis or imaging results in the available reporting, but New York finished off a 108-102 win and took a 2-0 series lead.

The biggest reason for calm is simple, Hart came back and finished the game. He logged 44 minutes and posted five points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a plus-5.

Knicks need Josh Hart and OG Anunoby healthy with Philadelphia games ahead

GettyThe New York Knicks really need Josh Hart and OG Anunoby on the floor to make a deep playoff run

This is why the scare mattered so much. Hart’s value goes beyond one box score, and it grows even more when the Knicks are juggling other health questions around the rotation.

OG Anunoby has also dealt with injury concerns. The overlap between Hart and Anunoby is a huge part of what makes this team dangerous.

In Game 2, the Knicks used Hart at center during a small-ball stretch when Karl-Anthony Towns was in foul trouble, and later also used Anunoby at the five. That kind of shape-shifting lineup is one of New York’s real playoff weapons.

Now the series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday, followed by Game 4 on Sunday. With the Knicks up 2-0, having Hart available is not just about depth. It gives the team better chemistry, and Hart’s defensive instinct really matters for the team.

Hart returning in Game 2 settled the panic a bit, but until there is a firmer update on that left hand, it will hang over this series as it shifts on the road.