MIAMI – Mitchell Robinson’s minutes restriction has been relaxed, but coach Mike Brown hasn’t come close to playing his center to the limit.
Robinson, who put weight on his surgically repaired ankle early in the season, again logged sub-20 minutes in Monday’s 115-113 loss to the Heat.
It was the seventh time in seven appearances that Robinson failed to top 20 minutes, but Brown said he kept backup big man Guerschon Yabusele in the game longer than expected, shortening Robinson’s time on the field.
Robinson, who played just three minutes in the fourth quarter, finished with five points and 11 rebounds.
“[His minutes limit] has increased. It’s up three times,” Brown said. “It’s all part of managing the load. So it is not necessarily a limitation. It’s just continuing the process with our load management. So it goes up. He could have played 27 minutes. But I threw Yabusele into the game because [Karl-Anthony Towns] encountered foul trouble early and Yabusele played well. And so that’s why I didn’t go back to Mitch, but he could definitely go in the 20s.
Robinson, the NBA’s leader in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes, has missed six games this season due to load management.
Brown blamed himself for wasting his challenge in the first half.
The coach challenged a foul call on Josh Hart, but it was upheld and the Knicks were left without another challenge for the remainder of a nip-and-tuck game.
“I didn’t help them. It was a bad challenge that I did. I have to get better,” Brown said. “As much as I tell those guys to be better, I have to be better. And it was a bad challenge just for the simple fact that I couldn’t use it in the second half because I screwed up in the first half. So I have to be better in that area.”
Jalen Brunson missed his second straight game on Monday with a sprained ankle, but appears close to returning.
During a pre-game warm-up, the point guard cut, raised and moved freely.
Officially, Brunson is day to day.
The Knicks play next Wednesday in Dallas against the Mavericks, who just fired team president Nico Harrison, who lost Brunson to the Knicks in free agency in 2022.
Without Brunson in Miami, the Knicks started Miles McBride and Landry Shamet in the backcourt.
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