Miles McBride comes out of his box

Bad start, with two defeats in a row against the King then the Clippers, the “road-trip” of four games in the West of Knicks On the other hand, it ended better, with two consecutive successes against the Lakers then the Blazers to finally balance the balance sheet of this trip to the other conference.

And if the good performances of Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, who bounced back well after a failed game against the Lakers, and Immanuel Quickley in these last two games were the main factors in the good rebound of the New York club, c t is certainly the contribution of the bench that brought the most satisfaction.

Particularly against Portland, since the substitutes of the Knicks slapped those of the Blazers with a huge differential of +33 in points scored in particular (45 to 12)!

At the center of this beautiful evening for the New York substitutes, Miles McBride. More mobilized than usual by Tom Thibodeau in the last two games since Jalen Brunson is still absent (18 then 25 minutes, against 12 on average over the season), “Deuce” was particularly shown.

After a first game with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 steals and a +/- of +15 against the Lakers, the 22-year-old point guard rose to power in Oregon by compiling 18 points, 3 assists and 2 blocks, and a +/- of +17. ” Honestly, I knew I had to up my game » he also said after the success against Portland. ” It was the last match of the road trip, we had started it badly so I wanted to bring some good energy. »

Already a safe bet in defense

Associated off the bench with the usual “second unit” composed of Josh Hart, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein and RJ Barrett who plays a lot with the substitutes, the former West Virginia then appeared as the X factor in the victory with well felt shots (6/8 including 4/5 behind the arc) and an exemplary defense on the man.

” Personally, even if I don’t score a single point and we win the match, I’m still satisfied. I’m just tryna make an impact, somehow he added. ” It’s our mentality, players on the bench. We go home, we look at the score, and we realize what we have to do to change that. And I think we did a good job. »

It is not Tom Thibodeau who will say the opposite. ” [Leurs entrées] were decisive, especially in defense Obviously appreciated the Knicks coach, who for once did not hesitate to extend the passages of his bench in the second half, when the momentum finally tilted in favor of New York, including those of Miles McBride.

” When the team sees a youngster from the bench fighting like that on all possessions, it unites, it motivates. He steals a ball, then suddenly he’s on the other side of the pitch and walking.than an easy cart. It is an accumulation of small details that thus build victory. “Thibs” concluded.