New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson intends to take the court for Game 1 of the NBA Finals despite suffering a broken right pinky finger, according to an ESPN report released Friday.
The 28-year-old player has had surgical repair done on the fracture and will use a protective brace on his hand during play, the report states.
Footage from Monday’s Eastern Conference finals-clinching victory at Cleveland captured Robinson clutching his right hand after attempting a rebound with 5:35 remaining in the third quarter. He remained in the game until the middle of the fourth quarter during the 130-93 Game 4 victory over the Cavaliers.
Wednesday night’s Game 1 marks the Knicks’ first Finals appearance since 1999, and they will face whichever team emerges victorious from Saturday’s Game 7 matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
In Monday’s contest, Robinson contributed eight points and 10 rebounds during 18 minutes of play as the Knicks secured their sweep and extended their winning streak to 11 consecutive games.
Serving as the backup to six-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, Robinson has posted averages of 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 14.2 minutes per contest while maintaining a league-best 73.7% field goal percentage (28 of 38) across 13 playoff appearances as a reserve player. His free-throw shooting has struggled at 30.2% (13 of 43 attempts).
Throughout the regular season, Robinson recorded averages of 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 19.6 minutes across 60 games (16 as a starter) and placed eighth in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Over his entire career, Robinson has maintained averages of 7.5 points, 8.0 boards, 1.7 blocks and 23.4 minutes across 397 regular-season contests (215 starts) with New York. The team’s longest-serving player was chosen in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft from Western Kentucky.
