The New York Knicks will be without guard Miles McBride in Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Orlando Magic.
McBride, who sustained an ankle sprain against the Magic last Sunday, also sat out of Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal win over the Toronto Raptors. He was seen leaving the arena in a walking boot on Sunday, causing concerns about the severity of his injury.
Fortunately, the Knicks confirmed Thursday that McBride’s MRI came back clean and he would be re-evaluated in a week, per the New York Post.
The news means that McBride will also miss Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final against either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder, should the Knicks advance. As per his re-evaluation date, McBride could potentially return for the Dec. 18 game against the Indiana Pacers, though it seems unlikely he’d be cleared in time.
Knicks Injury News
McBride, averaging 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists, will be dearly missed by a Knicks team that ranks 28th in the league in bench points. While Knicks head coach Mike Brown has relied a lot more on his second unit than his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, bench scoring continues to be an issue for the New York-based franchise.
Besides being the Knicks’ best three-point shooter — making 2.8 threes per game at 44% — McBride has taken on challenging defensive assignments for Brown all season. In many games, Brown has insisted on closing games with McBride in the lineup, given his ability to make clutch shots and guard the opponent’s best perimeter scorers.
“Obviously, we miss him,” Jalen Brunson said after Thursday’s practice, 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.”
NBA Cup Finals on the Line
A win on Saturday will allow the Knicks to inch closer to their maiden NBA Cup title after the heartbreaking loss to Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks last year.
Jordan Clarkson, who was not on last year’s roster, will have to pick up the slack for McBride, his second-unit backcourt running mate. Brusnon believes the former Sixth Man of the Year will be up for the task.
“I mean, he’s definitely one of the best sixth men ever in our game,” Brunson said of Clarkson, via NYPost. “He’s won the award and the things he’s been able to do in that role have been great. So I expect him just to come and be aggressive and be who he is. … So I don’t see a drop-off. I just see the next-man-up mentality.”
In Tuesday’s NBA Cup win over the Raptors, Clarkson had 12 points from 25 minutes off the bench. Mike Brown feels Clarkson and Co. can carry the second unit in McBride’s absence.
“I think it’s a collective deal,” Brown said of playing without McBride, “because with Deuce out, too, Tyler’s played a little bit more too. Again, not one person is gonna replace any other one person. It’s gonna be done collectively, and Jordan’s had a fantastic year for us. He’s given us a huge spark coming off the bench.”
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