There was confusion about what exactly happened to Josh Hart when he headed back toward the locker room in the first half of the New York Knicks' preseason win over the Sixers. He slipped and fell while he had possession of the ball in what looked to be a non-contact injury. Hart slowly walked off the court, holding his back in pain.
He never returned to play, but the good news is that it was because he was ejected for throwing the ball in the stands (weak), and not because of his back. Brian Windhorst confirmed that on ESPN's NBA Today episode on Thursday, not long after the game ended.
"The Knicks said that Josh Hart didn't come back to the game because he was ejected. Not because he had the injury."@WindhorstESPN on Josh Hart’s status after the Knicks vs. 76ers preseason opener. pic.twitter.com/A4JFU45yDa
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 2, 2025
The injury scare/ejection happened in the second quarter, so there's reason to believe that even if Hart weren't ejected, the Knicks would've chosen to err on the side of caution, not risking it in a preseason game.
Mike Brown said after the game that Hart, who has a sore lower back, will wait to see how he feels tomorrow. The Knicks will play their second preseason game in Abu Dhabi against the Sixers on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.
Knicks fans breathe sigh of relief after Josh Hart injury update
Hart joked on X (Twitter) about the injury, being his normal self, a good sign:
Mood: pic.twitter.com/WtrKGe1aS8
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) October 2, 2025
Hart is already dealing with a finger injury that he reaggravated recently, but it's not to the point where he can't play. He was initially the only Knicks rotation player from last season to be injured in some form, but on Thursday, fans learned that OG Anunoby would miss the game, not because it was the preseason, but because he has a sprained left hand (Bill Pidto said it happened during practice and isn't considered 'significant').
Fans were still reeling from that news when Hart went down, which led everyone to assume the worst, even Nick Nurse, who initially thought it was a "very serious" injury. It happened right in front of the Sixers' bench.
Hart hasn't been ruled out for Saturday's game, but if he is, it could be a precautionary measure. Perhaps the injury was Hart's way of protesting not being in the starting lineup, as Brown started Mitchell Robinson and Pacôme Diot. He did say he would request a trade if he didn't start..
In all seriousness, this injury is the good news that fans were desperately hoping to hear.