Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina (ankle) expected to play Friday

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina is expected to play Friday against the Brooklyn Nets after missing the previous two games with a left ankle injury.

Ntilikina injured his ankle during practice last Saturday and returned to practice without limitation on Thursday. The ankle injury was the latest in a series of ailments that has limited the 19-year-old early in his career.

Ntilikina missed the Knicks' summer league games due to a knee contusion, and he missed New York's final four preseason games with a similar injury. He said on Thursday that his ankle is pain-free.

"I'm excited," Ntilikina said of returning on Friday. "First game at the Garden in the regular season. So, yeah, I can't wait to go out there."

Ntilikina, selected eighth by the Knicks in the 2017 NBA Draft, will not start on Friday. Ramon Sessions will likely continue to start at point guard for New York (0-3). Ntilikina is also unlikely to play major minutes against Brooklyn. He registered just eight minutes in the Knicks' season-opening loss against Oklahoma City.

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek suggested that he'll play a similar amount of time against Brooklyn.