The New York Knicks won their sixth game in a row on Thursday — seven if you include the NBA Cup Final — when they overcame the Indiana Pacers, 114-113, in an away contest. Amid their winning streak, the Knicks have received a huge shot in the arm on the injury front.
According to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, Miles McBride, who sustained an ankle sprain against the Orlando Magic on Dec. 6, is on the verge of a comeback.
“Miles McBride is getting close to returning,” Bondy reported on X. “He’s now considered day-to-day, according to the Knicks, and is doing on-court work. He has yet to practice but the Knicks also haven’t practiced or held a shootaround since Monday.”
Knicks Bench is Thriving
The Knicks injury news is a huge boost for Mike Brown’s team, which ranks 28th in the league in bench points, despite the recent heroics of Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek. In Thursday’s win over the Pacers, Clarkson (18 points) and Kolek (16 points) once again came through in a big way after playing critical roles in the NBA Cup final victory.
When McBride joins them, and Mitchell Robinson (injury management) is back in the lineup, the Knicks could suddenly have one of the best second units in the NBA — a stark contrast to last year’s team that was very thin on the bench.
It also helps that, unlike Tom Thibodeau, new Knicks head coach Mike Brown has consistently trusted his second-unit players this season. The best example of that came in the NBA Cup final when he benched Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart for most of the fourth quarter in favor of Clarkson and Kolek, who responded in a big way.
Miles McBride Boost Incoming
Before his injury, McBride averaged 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists, proving to be arguably New York’s most impactful bench player.
The West Virginia product was New York’s best three-point shooter, making 2.8 threes per game at an excellent clip of 44%. Furthermore, he consistently took on the most challenging perimeter defensive assignments, especially while playing next to Jalen Brunson and Hart, who aren’t exactly known for their on-ball defense.
When McBride got hurt, the Knicks acknowledged that they would miss him dearly.
“Obviously, we miss him,” Brunson said, via New York Post’s Andrew Crane.
“We want him back. Gotta pick up a lot of slack on both sides of the ball without him being out there. He’s able to do so much for us, so we definitely need to fill that gap. We’re just gonna have to do what we’ve gotta do until he’s back.”
It’s a huge testament to the Knicks that they went 4-0 in McBride’s absence, which includes NBA Cup semifinal and final wins against the Magic and the Spurs.
The Knicks (19-7) will next face the Philadelphia 76ers (14-11) on Friday night in the second night of a back-to-back game.
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