As the Knicks find themselves in the most arduous stretch of their schedule, they also found themselves down to their third center Monday night as they faced the Memphis Grizzlies without Nerlens Noel who was forced to sit out with a sprained left ankle.
That left 35-year-old Taj Gibson to hold down the middle in his absence with little-used Norvel Pelle as the lone option of a traditional center. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau did note Sunday that the team has the flexibility to play smaller with Julius Randle switching over to center at times.
Noel rolled his ankle when he collided with Houston’s Kelly Olynyk Sunday night midway through the third quarter.