Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports: Lakers center Shaquille O"Neal was a late scratch from Sunday's game against the New York Knicks.

O"Neal was bothered by a sore left knee.

The injury puts tonight's O"Neal vs. Ming matchup in doubt.

"It'll be game to game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of O"Neal's status.

A pregame examination of O'Neal's knee by team doctor Steve Lombardo resulted in O'Neal sitting out against the Knicks. But it was O'Neal, despite the anti-inflammatory painkillers he is taking, who  made the call.

"He (O'Neal) came in and said he didn't think he was capable of playing," Jackson said.

O'Neal, who left after the game without comment, is also dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired right foot. Jackson said the knee and foot pain came about from O'Neal playing 26 minutes in the All-Star Game on Feb. 9 - which Jackson said was "not his (O'Neal's) fault."

The Lakers lost the game 117-110.