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New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau finds himself in hot water again after star point guard Jalen Brunson twisted his ankle with 20 seconds left in their 133-123 loss to the Boston Celtics Friday night on the road.
Asked if regrets the decision to leave his starters with the game already beyond reach, the Knicks coach had a short response.
“Nope,” Thibodeau told reporters nonchalantly.
Brunson limped to the bench and into the locker room after stepping back into Payton Pricthard’s foot following Derrick White’s free throw.
The accident brought back memories of RJ Barrett’s injury two seasons ago and Derrick Rose’s infamous ACL injury in Chicago that changed the trajectory of his career.
The Knicks have yet to announce the severity of Brunson’s injury. They have a two-day rest before hosting the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Starting center Mitchell Robinson also hurt his ankle but his X-rays result did not yield any damage. He briefly returned in the second half after the injury scare but sat out the entire fourth quarter.
“Mitch is fine. That was precautionary,” said Thibodeau, referring to his fourth-quarter benching.
Robinson had 10 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. His backup, Isaiah Hartenstein took advantage with increased playing time as he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds while adding five points, four assists and two blocks.
It was still not enough to overcome the Celtics, who shot 19 of 47 from downtown.
Quentin Grimes Demoted to Second Unit
After publicly airing his frustrations over his lack of touches and short leash amid his shooting slump, Quentin Grimes moved to the bench.
A decision he welcomed with open arms.
“He kind of let me know to try to get me a better rhythm, get me in a better flow, try to get me how I was playing last year,” Grimes said via New York Post. “He felt like it was the best thing to do and I agree with him. It’s a good thing.”
Grimes fired 13 points off the bench for his first double-digit scoring in eight games.
However, Donte DiVincenzo struggled in his return to the starting unit after two sterling spot starts earlier in the season. DiVincenzo struggled with six points on 3 of 6 shooting.
All starters finished with a negative net rating, with their new starting backcourt of Brunson and DiVincenzo each ending up a minus-21.
2 Teams Waiting for Immanuel Quickley’s Restricted Free Agency
The threat of Immanuel Quickleay leaving New York after this season gets real as two teams with cap space next summer are believed to be interested in the Knicks’ Sixth Man.
“The trend is to play hardball with restricted free agency, but it could be a mistake, the Knicks playing hardball with him,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “Two reasons for that, really: The Spurs and the Magic. They need a young point guard. And they’re both in a good spot to swipe him.”
Between the two teams, the Spurs have the bigger need of a lead guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama and Quickley fits that bill.
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Tom Thibodeau’s Cold Reaction to Knicks Star’s Garbage Time Injury