On March 14, the New York Knicks overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 107-123 to win their second straight game and keep some distance from the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets.
Throughout the contest, sophomore guard Miles McBride impressed, as he had a career-scoring night with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep, all while playing an important role in keeping superstar guard Damian Lillard contained.
Following the Knicks’ latest victory, McBride spoke about the challenge of guarding Lillard and credited his team for a well-rounded defensive effort that helped lead to the win.
“He’s obviously one of the best players in the league,” McBride said, “He’s crafty, shifty, can make tough shots, so the best thing you can do is just contain him and guard him as a team. It was a great challenge for me, and I think we did what we needed to do today.”
Since the arrival of Josh Hart, McBride has found minutes hard to come by, but is making the most of his time in the rotation while Jalen Brunson continues to recover from injury.
Tom Thibodeau Heaps Praise on Miles McBride
Following the Knicks’ latest win, head coach Tom Thibodeau took a moment to praise the efforts of McBride during his post-game press conference, stating that it was arguably his best game as a professional.
“Duece, you can’t say enough about what he did,” Thibodeau said, “That’s probably his best game as a pro.”
McBride has amassed 96 NBA games since being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 36th pick in the 2021 NBA draft and is currently averaging 3 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game for his career, with shooting splits of 36% from the field, 31.1% from three-point range, and 68.4% from the free-throw line.
After such an impressive showing, McBride will likely be hoping that his role within the Knicks rotation is solidified until Brunson returns, at which point, he will likely resume his spot on the team’s bench.
Knicks Predicted to Make Noise in Playoffs
According to a March 14 article from CBS Sports Bill Reiter, in which he detailed a discussion with an anonymous NBA Executive, the Knicks have the potential to be a surprise package in the postseason.
“Of course, when Golden State won that (first) championship in the middle of that season I don’t think anyone saw what they were going to be. Can the Knicks be some version of that? Everyone labeled Brunson just a guy, and he’s so much more than that. I was wrong on him too. I thought he was good, but he’s taken it to another level. Next is to see what he can do in the playoffs, but a lot of us were wrong on him,” The executive said.
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Miles McBride Issues Statement on Damian Lillard Following Knicks Win