Stoudemire out with sprained toe

NEWARK - Amar'e Stoudemire tried to work through the pain but just couldn't.

He felt soreness in his right big toe after Friday night's loss to the Lakers and was unable to put pressure on it when he awoke yesterday morning. He underwent treatment and tests before last night's game against the Nets but the pain wouldn't subside, so he decided to shut it down.

"At that point I knew I couldn't go," said Stoudemire, who is day-to-day. The diagnosis is a sprain.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said he was unaware of the severity of the injury until right before the game.

"They told me earlier his toe was bothering him early this morning but should be OK," the coach said. "Then I saw him walk in and I was thinking, 'OK, he's cool.' Then he was trying to put some weight on it and I saw he couldn't."

Stoudemire said he thinks he suffered the injury when he collided with the Lakers' Ron Artest Friday night. He'll undergo three days of treatment before Wednesday night's game against Atlanta.

"Hopefully, I'm 100 percent by Wednesday, and if I am, the All-Star Game will be a go," Stoudemire said. "But if not, I probably won't play as much."