New York Knicks: J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Kenyon Martin All Miss Practice

The New York Knicks are trying to avoid being put on the brink of elimination by the Indiana Pacers and they may have to do so without the help of guards J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin who are listed as game time decisions heading into a crucial Game 5 matchup. It appears a bug might be going around the Knicks locker room as both Smith and Martin missed Knicks practice on Monday and may not play in Tuesday’s big game.

Another question mark is guard Iman Shumpert who missed practice with a sore knee but according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, the soreness is not believed to be related to Shumpert’s ACL injury from last year.

It’s highly unlikely that the Knicks will enter Game 5 sans three of their biggest contributors and if there’s a guy likely to sit it’s going to be Kenyon Martin. J.R. Smith missed a game against the Celtics due to suspension and it’s being credited as one of the reasons Boston got back into the series and almost took it seven games.

Shumpert is key for the Knicks but his sore knee is telling as to why his production offensively hasn’t been where New York needs it to be. Game 5 doesn’t tip off until Tuesday so all three players have over 24 hours to rest and get healthy. But even if they play, doing so at less than 100 percent could prove fatal for the Knicks as returning to New York down 3-2 in the series is not an ideal situation to envision dealing with.