Hart Cleared, Report Empty: Opening Night Against a Short Philadelphia

0:04The host: Josh Hart is cleared. That came through yesterday, October 19, the day-to-day tag gone, and it means the injury report the Knicks handed in two hours ago is empty. Seventeen names, nobody listed. Opening night against Philadelphia at the Garden, and Mike Brown has everyone.

0:21The analyst: The other item from yesterday is a Hoops Rumors roundup: Drummond, Shamet, Mike Brown, Bruce Brown. No insider on the byline, no detail in the headline, so treat it as a notes column, not news. The Bruce Brown part is settled anyway. Placed on waivers October 17, gone October 18.

0:40The host: So that's the roster. Seventeen contracts, payroll at $220.4M, above the first apron.

0:48The analyst: Down from the $227.7M we were carrying a week ago. Eubanks, Bradley, Agbaji, Bruce Brown, Pate, all off the sheet. The tax line is $200.4M, so still deep in it, and the 2027 and 2029 firsts still belong to Brooklyn. This is the group. Nothing left to trim.

1:12The host: Philadelphia. 45-37 last season, a 114.3 offensive rating, a 114.4 defensive rating, net rating minus 0.1. A break-even team by the numbers, with a lot of names.

1:29The analyst: Names with mileage. LeBron James, 60 games, 20.9 points and 7.2 assists per game last season. Jaylen Brown 28.7 a night. Maxey 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games. Embiid, 38 games. That's Nick Nurse's whole story: when they all play, dangerous. They didn't all play.

1:51The host: And tonight they're short again.

1:53The analyst: Simons is day-to-day with a hamstring, Bona day-to-day with a foot, Dean Wade day-to-day, ankle. Barlow, Hukporti and Tacko Fall are out. If Bona can't go, the center minutes behind Embiid are a problem for them. Embiid averaged 31.6 minutes last season. Somebody has to play the rest.

2:12The host: We saw them October 5 in the preseason and they sat everyone. That game tells you nothing about tonight.

2:19The analyst: Agreed. Tonight's matchup is simpler: our offense against their defense. We were third in offense last season at 118.7. Their defense was 114.4. The gap is bigger on that end than when they have the ball, where our 112.3 defensive rating, seventh in the league, meets their 114.3. Towns' 20.1 and 11.9 against whoever Nurse has behind Embiid.

2:43The host: I'd say Brunson against Maxey decides it. Two point guards, 26.0 a game against 28.3.

2:50The analyst: It's the glamour matchup, not the deciding one. Maxey is going to get his. The question is who else scores for them if Simons sits. His 14.3 per game last season was their bench scoring.

3:03The host: Injury report, our side: empty. Hart cleared yesterday. Brunson, Bridges, Towns, Anunoby all came off the rest tags October 15. Alvarado, who we said last time to watch for minutes, is on the roster and off the report. That question is closed.

3:20The analyst: Closed. Hart's the one I'm watching. Right ankle on October 15, day-to-day twice in one day, cleared, then day-to-day again, cleared again yesterday. He played 30.2 minutes a game last season with 7.4 rebounds. If Brown holds him under that tonight, that's the tell.

3:39The host: Number of the day.

3:41The analyst: 37.7. Brunson hit 30 or more in three straight games, averaging 37.7 across them. His average last season was 26.0. What it doesn't prove: that 37.7 is who he is. Three games. In the preseason he had a 6-point night and a 20-point night. The baseline is 26.0 until the regular season says otherwise.

4:04The host: You said that last time too.

4:06The analyst: I said it against a 12-point night in Philadelphia. Now I'm saying it against opening night. Different point.

4:13The host: Last game: 122-120 over Toronto on October 15, Brunson 20, Drummond 14. Two nights before, 98-148 in Toronto. Four days off since. Philadelphia has had 3 days, one game in the last 7, and this is their first road stop.

4:32The analyst: The 148 was the night the starters sat. The 122-120 is the one with the real group. And 4 days of rest for a team that spent the week trimming its roster is as fresh as opening night gets.

4:45The host: Two hours from now, Madison Square Garden, NBC and Peacock. Then Boston on the 23rd, on Prime Video, three days later.

4:53The analyst: No report broke today. Nothing on the Towns extension since October 11. Don't expect it tonight.

4:59The host: Watch Hart's minutes against that 30.2 and whether Brown trusts the ankle. The full breakdown lands in the Knicks section on Hoops Nightly.

5:08The analyst: And the number for Boston: whether Brunson sits at 26.0 or 37.7 after one real game. Enjoy it.