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The New York Knicks‘ 119-112 wire-to-wire win over the Golden State Warriors will go down as the Miles McBride game.
“McBride got loose — he had like 11 in the first five, six minutes,” Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told reporters after the game.
McBride, the former second-round pick, just earned his 10th career start after OG Anunoby flew back to New York after his surgically repaired right elbow flared up and responded to the challenge.
More known for his defense, McBride’s offense kept humming all night as he outscored Curry, 29-27, and knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers.
“We kept Jalen [Brunson] pretty quiet to start but [Isaiah] Hartenstein got three floaters or finishes in the paint and they were kind of spacing us out,” Curry told reporters when asked to break down the 18-4 Knicks start. “They played a starting lineup that gave Hartenstein the ability to roll. He and Brunson played pick and roll then when McBride was hitting shots, they had every option open and they were making them. We never got stops that led to the transition.”
McBride also hit the dagger 3 late in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were trying to make a run. He played all but 1:29 in almost no-relief job for the shorthanded Knicks, who were missing three starters.
Miles McBride Set the Tone
McBride’s defense set the tone for the Knicks win as he held Curry scoreless in the opening quarter. Curry did not score his first field goal until there were only 5:23 remaining in the second quarter.
McBride held the greatest shooter in NBA history to 4 of 13 shooting and 2 turnovers in the 51 possessions as his primary defender, per NBA.com matchup tracker. Curry finished on 8 for 20 from the field and 4 of 13 from the 3-point range.
McBride revealed he watched a lot of film of Curry to prepare for the toughest defensive assignment of his young career.
“Just understanding the routes he takes. Obviously, he doesn’t stop moving. He’s the greatest shooter in the history. So, just trying to do my best and continuously fight through screens, be physical and do whatever I can to disrupt him.”
Miles McBride’s Growth
Long buried on the Knicks bench, McBride finally cracked Tom Thibodeau’s regular rotation when the Knicks shipped Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in the Anunoby trade.
Shortly after the trade, the Knicks locked McBride up to a three-year extension worth $13 million, which is now beginning to look like another steal for Leon Rose’s front office.
Since then, McBride averaged 9.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 21.1 minutes on a 41.6% 3-point shooting. All his hard work in the G League is starting to pay off for the former West Virginia star.
He was ready when Thibodeau asked him to start for Anunoby.
“Coach [Thibodeau] came to me. He said he has a lot of confidence in me and just wants me to go out there and play my game,” McBride told Mike Breen and Monica McNutt in the MSG Network’s postgame interview.
What fueled his turnaround?
“All glory to God! Just believing in myself. Continue to shoot with confidence and trusting my work,” McBride said.
The Knicks kept their unbeaten run in this West Coast trip and extended their winning streak to four despite Anunoby rejoining Julius Randle (shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) in the sickbay.
McBride’s career game also kept the Knicks (41-27) in fourth place in the East, just two games behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers (43-25) and three games trailing the second-place Milwaukee Bucks (44-24).
“Honestly, it starts with the top,” McBride said of the team’s ability to thrive in adversity. “Coach Thibs has great belief in all of his guys. He believes anybody in the room can step up and play well.”
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