Knicks News: As Carmelo Anthony Sits Out Third Game Against Jazz, Amare Stoudemire To Miss Six Weeks For Knee Surgery

The New York Knicks' chase of the Atlantic Division title was dealt a double blow Saturday with star player Carmelo Anthony due to miss his third straight game and Amar'e Stoudemire now to miss six weeks of action due to arthroscopic knee surgery.

Stoudemire has been experiencing soreness in both of his knees, which kept him out of Saturday's shoot-around. However, as ESPN reports, an MRI later that day revealed that the six-time NBA All-Star needed surgery to clear out debris in his right knee.

This marks the second time this season that Stoudemire has had to have the procedure, the first one causing him to miss the first 30 games of the NBA season. With a long and lengthy history of knee issues, Stoudemire's knees have become uninsurable, though that did not stop the Knicks from offering the talented big man a six-year, $100 million contract.

Stoudemire's return has had a big impact for the Knicks' bench, where he has averaged 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds during his last 29 games.

At the same time, with the Knicks getting set to play the No.8 West seeded Utah Jazz Saturday, Anthony, the Knicks All-Star forward and leading scorer, will miss his third consecutive game due to his lingering right knee injury.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson confirmed Anthony would be unavailable before game time. Anthony first aggravated his knee during Monday's win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, though a recent MRI found no structural damage in the superstar's knee. Anthony is listed as day-to-day.

"I know he's getting his treatment and you don't always have to drain, you can treat and the swelling can go away that way as well," Woodson told ESPN. "We've just got to give it time and see what happens."

Woodson is hoping to reduce Anthony's minutes when he returns, as Anthony has been playing 37.8 minutes per game this season and was averaging 41 minutes per game in January.

The loss of Anthony, second in the NBA in scoring with 28.2 points per game, and Stoudemire leave the Knicks without major firepower for the short run, though it remains to be seen if Stoudemire can return in time for the playoffs as the Knicks attempt to mount its first serious title run since the Patrick Ewing era ended in New York.