Rookie guard Miles McBride broke out in the Knicks’ 116-103 win against the Houston Rockets.
The short-handed New York Knicks finally broke a four-game losing streak thanks to rookie point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride’s breakout performance on Thursday.
In the Knicks’ 116-103 win over the Houston Rockets, McBride played 36 minutes and scored 15 points on 11 shots. The second-round pick also dished out nine assists and played elite defense to the tune of four steals.
On the whole, it was a great tuneup game for New York. Houston too was short-handed because of players in the health and safety protocols, and are also not a playoff team.
But the game wasn’t all big and bright like the stars at night, deep in the heart of Texas. The New York Knicks still had some sloppy play, and had to rally late to bring the win home.
The New York Knicks were good, but inconsistent
This was most obvious towards the end of the first half. The Rockets weren’t playing elite defense, but the Knicks still got caught dragging their feet and playing iso ball. They led 57-51 at halftime, but went over three minutes without scoring.
This carried over into the third quarter too, though New York finished strong and then took off into the fourth. Even better, the Knicks managed to pull away without Derrick Rose, who sat out the second half with a sore ankle.
But the fact remains the New York Knicks blew a 17-point lead and even let the Houston Rockets take the lead at one point. Letting an undermanned non-playoff team shoot 50% from the field isn’t a good look, even with a strong finish to win the game.
The second unit shines
IMMANUEL JAYLEN QUICKLEY FROM DEEP pic.twitter.com/WYcUqurelJ
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) December 17, 2021
Aside from McBride, the rest of the Knicks’ second-unit drove the scoring for much of the second half. Immanuel Quickley drilled seven threes and had 24 points, and Mitchell Robinson was an unstoppable force too. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the field with some lively dunks.
The New York Knicks also got 21 and 23 points from Julius Randle and Evan Fournier, respectively. Fournier was 8 of 12 with three threes and though Randle was an ugly 6 of 18 from the floor, he still had a renewed confidence that’s been missing from him for too long.
Coming up
The New York Knicks next visit the Boston Celtics on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
