Knicks' Emmanuel Mudiay: Not playing Thursday

Mudiay (shoulder) is listed as out for Thursday's game against the Hawks.

Unsurprisingly, the Knicks will withhold Mudiay from action through the All-Star break while he continues to recover from the strained left shoulder. Assuming Mudiay is able to get some practice time in next week, he should be cleared for the Knicks' first game of the second half Feb. 22 against the Timberwolves. After serving as the team's starting point guard for much of the season, Mudiay appears on track to fill a backup role behind Dennis Smith once he's cleared to play again.