Carmelo Anthony to miss Knicks-Thunder Christmas Day matchup

Carmelo Anthony was a game-time decision before Wednesday's game with the Thunder. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will not play in the team's Christmas Day matchup at Madison Square Garden against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The news was first reported via Twitter by Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Anthony's status was questionable for the past two days after he suffered an ankle sprain in Orlando in the team's win against the Magic on Monday night. He was listed as "a game time decision" heading into Wednesday and head coach Mike Woodson said a few hours before the game against the Thunder that he would leave the decision up to the six-time All-Star and the team's medical staff.

Asked before the game who would start in Anthony's place, Woodson said, "Good question, I don't know." Berman later tweeted that swingman J.R. Smith will fill-in for Anthony at the three spot.

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The Knicks (9-18) will see the return Wednesday of forward Kenyon Martin, who missed the past five games with an abdominal strain. Point guard Raymond Felton is back on the shelf with a strained right groin after returning from a six-game absence against the Magic to rehab a hamstring injury. Forward Metta World Peace remains out with lingering knee issues and will have blood-thinning/platelet rich plasma therapy on his knee on Jan. 6.

https://twitter.com/NYPost_Berman/status/415914886233739264

https://twitter.com/NYPost_Berman/status/415917860091723776