Carmelo Anthony has made progress but still is having back issues

Carmelo Anthony went through a light workout Friday afternoon. He viewed that as significant progress, given that a few days ago, he couldn't breathe, talk, move, scratch his forehead or pick up a drink because of back spasms.

But he still isn't in the clear; he said his back still is in spasm in one area. Anthony, who hasn't been able to run, wants to see how his back responds now that he has worked on his shooting for the first time since experiencing the spasms Monday night in Houston.

"I never ever experienced any type of pain like that,'' Anthony said before sitting out the Knicks' game against the Thunder on Friday night. "It felt like it was never going to be better.

"From that day, not even being able to straighten my back up to not being able to get out the bed to now walking and shooting, I made some strides in the last couple of days. To see where I was at Monday night, Tuesday, to where I am now, I'm excited about that.''

Anthony isn't sure of his status for Sunday night's game against Miami at the Garden. The Knicks then will play the Nets on Tuesday night and the Cavaliers on Thursday night. It's possible he can return sometime in that stretch, but he won't play until the final spasm is gone.

"It's just there,'' he said. "It's staying, just staying right there, kind of in the middle of my back. Overall, maybe 80 percent of it is probably gone, but there's still a little part of it right there that's not trying to go away.''

Anthony said the spasms began after he hit a jump shot against the Rockets. He felt something as he came down and turned around. There was a timeout right after that, and he knew something was wrong.

"I sat down on the bench and was breathing real heavy and somebody had to help me up off the bench and get back out there on the court,'' he said. "I tried to get down in a defensive stance and I couldn't get back up.''

After the game, the Knicks stopped at an urgent care center on the way to the airport to get Anthony pain medication. It knocked him out.

"I don't know what they gave me,'' he said. "But I just know I got myself on the plane. The next thing I know, I was in Dallas. That's the only thing I can remember.''

He has since stopped taking the medication because it makes him groggy. Because of the meds, Anthony said he wasn't able to eat much of the Thanksgiving dinner the team had at Kevin Durant's restaurant.

Anthony has continued to undergo all kinds of treatment, including stretching and manipulation. He hopes he can work out again Saturday.

"I'm surprised they allowed me to go out there and do that today,'' Anthony said. "I kind of pushed the issue a little bit. I said I really just want to test it out. They crossed their fingers and let me go out there.''

Now the Knicks are crossing their fingers that he doesn't have a setback and can return soon.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.