MIAMI — Mitchell Robinson’s minutes restriction has been eased, but coach Mike Brown didn’t come close to playing his center to the limit.
Robinson, who has been load-managing his surgically repaired ankle through the start of the season, logged under 20 minutes again in Monday’s 115-113 loss to the Heat.
It was the seventh time in seven appearances Robinson failed to eclipse 20 minutes, but Brown said he kept backup big man Guerschon Yabusele in the game longer than anticipated — reducing Robinson’s time on the court.
Robinson, who only played three minutes in the fourth quarter, finished with five points and 11 rebounds.
“[His minutes limit] has increased. It’s gone up three times,” Brown said. “It’s all part of the load-management thing. So it’s not necessarily a restriction. It’s just continuing the process with our load management. So it’s going up. He could’ve played 27 minutes. But I threw Yabusele in the game because [Karl-Anthony Towns] picked up early foul trouble, and Yabusele was playing well. And so I didn’t go back to Mitch because of it, 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 for “load management.”
Brown blamed himself for wasting his challenge in the first half.
The coach contested 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 out. It was a bad challenge that I did. I’ve got to be better,” Brown said. “As much as I’m telling those guys to be better, I got to be better. And it was a bad challenge just from the simple fact that I couldn’t use it in the second half because I blew it in the first half. So I have to be better in that area.
Jalen Brunson missed his second straight game Monday with a sprained ankle but appears close to returning.
During a pregame warmup, the point guard cut, elevated and moved without hindrance.
Officially, Brunson is day to day.
The Knicks next play Wednesday at Dallas against the Mavericks, who just fired team president Nico Harrison, who lost Brunson to the Knicks via free agency in 2022.
Without Brunson in Miami, the Knicks started Miles McBride and Landry Shamet in the backcourt.
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