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Despite not playing, 'crybaby' Kanter takes blame for Knicks' loss to Hawks

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

Enes Kanter takes full responsibility for the New York Knicks' 116-104 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, even though he was sidelined with a back injury and didn't factor into the result whatsoever.

"I’m just in the locker room crying like a little baby," Kanter said afterward, according to NorthJersey.com's Steve Popper. "It’s just tough man, especially games like this. If you’re thinking about the playoffs, you cannot lose. So if you’re looking for who to blame, you guys can blame me. I’ll take the blame tonight because I was just here like a little baby trying to get my back right.

"So it’s tough to see my teammates battling, fighting, in a war, and I’m just here like a crybaby. It’s tough, man. I cannot accept it. It’s not me. So I’m definitely going to take it day-by-day. I just don’t want to hurt my team for the long run because they said if I play tonight they said I cannot play for another three or four weeks. That’s why I didn’t want to hurt my team. But I’ll take the blame for tonight."

It was the first game Kanter was absent for this season, with Kyle O'Quinn scoring two points and grabbing six rebounds in 23 minutes of action as the starting center in his stead.

New York has a quick turnaround, visiting the Toyota Center Saturday to battle James Harden and the Houston Rockets. There's a strong possibility Kanter will be unavailable again, telling reporters he couldn't even walk after waking up Friday, and that the pills he took to loosen the muscles in his back provided little relief.

Kanter is averaging 13.6 points on 63.5 percent shooting, along with 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.2 minutes for the now 10-8 Knicks.

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