A left hand laceration will force Amare Stoudemire to sit out Game 3 of the New York Knicks-Miami Heat first-round playoff series, the team announced Tuesday evening. He is listed as doubtful for Game 4, scheduled for Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Stoudemire suffered the laceration on the inside of his palm, on the side of his hand closest to the pinkie, after punching a glass case containing a fire extinguisher Monday moments after the Knicks’ 104-94 loss to the Heat.
“He didn’t haul off and punch the glass; he hit it out of frustration,” a person who witnessed Stoudemire hitting the glass surrounding the fire extinguisher told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard. “He kind of slapped it, but with a closed fist. He said he thought it was plastic instead of glass.
“Half of his hand was just hanging off. It was really bad. Blood was just squirting out. That’s why they had the paramedics come in, because they thought he might have punctured an artery because of how much blood was coming out.”
The Knicks say Stoudemire will be reassessed for the remainder of the series. A team source said there is a possibility that Stoudemire could miss the rest of the series, regardless of how long it goes. The Knicks trail the Heat, 2-0, in the best-of-seven series.
Stoudemire saw a hand specialist at the Hospital of Special Surgery on Tuesday and the surgeon repaired a “small muscle” in his hand, according to the team. According to a source with knowledge of the injury, Stoudemire suffered no ligament or tendon damage. He needed an undisclosed number of stitches on the cut.
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.