Knicks' Derrick Rose out vs. Cavs due to lingering back soreness

ByIAN BEGLEY
December 7, 2016, 6:50 PM

— -- NEW YORK --? Knicks point guard Derrick Rose will sit out of Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to lingering soreness in his back.

Brandon Jennings will start in his place.

Rose is scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday evening to clearly determine the nature of the injury, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. Rose first suffered the spasms during the Knicks' win over the? Miami Heat?on Tuesday. He left the game in the third quarter and did not return.

Rose received treatment from team doctors during the day on Wednesday and was set to have an MRI later that night as a precaution, Hornacek said. Rose's status going forward is unclear, but Hornacek said the club is planning to have Rose on its West Coast road trip, which begins on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors.

The severity of Rose's back issue was unclear following Tuesday's game, though the point guard told reporters it had "calmed down."

"He says it's tight," Hornacek said postgame. "It kind of goes from his groin to his lower back, so hopefully they'll give him some treatment after the game and ... we'll see if he can be all right for [Wednesday] night."

Rose said after the game that there was no structural issue with his back. He had hoped to play against Cleveland on Wednesday but noted that he would be "smart" about it.

"It calmed down, it just spasmed. Usually when you have back problems, or back spasms, it comes from somewhere else, and tonight my right side, my right leg, everything was fatiguing kind of quick," Rose said, adding that it was a muscular issue.

The 28-year-old guard had been healthy and productive for the Knicks prior to the back spasm flare-up on Tuesday.

In his first 20 games of the season, Rose averaged 17 points, 4.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds for the 12-9 Knicks.

Rose has a long injury history, though not related to his back.

Entering this season, the 2011 NBA MVP had played just 39 percent of his games in the previous four seasons due to various injuries, including three significant knee ailments.