By Simon Evans

MIAMI (Reuters) - New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire suffered a badly cut hand from an incident following his team's 104-94 defeat to the Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs on Monday and could miss time in the remainder of the series.

Stoudemire, who was his team's second highest scorer with 18 points and seven rebounds, left the American Airlines Arena with his left arm in a sling and his hand heavily wrapped.

Several media reports cited sources saying Stoudemire had hit the glass casing surrounding a fire extinguisher, although the team gave no details of how the injury occurred.

A fire extinguisher in the corridor between the court and the Knicks locker-room had the glass casing shattered and had to be replaced.

"I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start," Stoudemire wrote on his Twitter account.

A Knicks team spokesman said the player had suffered a "laceration" and confirmed the injury happened after the game.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson declined to discuss the situation when asked by reporters.

Game three of the Eastern Conference first-round series, which the Heat lead 2-0, takes place on Thursday in New York and Stoudemire's absence would be a major blow for a team already without injured Jeremy Lin and Imar Schumpert.

"We just know he has a laceration and he's probably going to be out," said Knicks center Tyson Chandler.

"It makes it tougher. Your emotions run high. In a split second, a decision can alter things. You can't fault anybody, we have got to deal with the repercussions," he added.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)