Miles McBride Goes Extra Miles For Knicks After Jalen Brunson Injury
Sunday is often viewed as a day of rest but it proved to be anything but for Miles McBride during the New York Knicks' 107-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks' reserve backcourt threat was pressed into 47 minutes of action after Jalen Brunson was forced to leave due to a knee injury in the opening minute. Normally known for his defensive flair, McBride scored 16 points and dished out five assists in relief, 11 and three of those tallies respectively coming in the second half as the Knicks (36-25) withstood multiple Cleveland rallies to earn an emotional victory.
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“I feel fine honestly. That’s what I put in the offseason work for. I prepare my body for this,” McBride said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “You never know what’s going to happen. "(Brunson) should be fine hopefully, but got to be ready for anything.”
McBride was ready and then some: a crossover of Evan Mobley in the second quarter led off the Knicks-Cavs highlight package, which wrapped with the last of four three-pointers that created the final margin. McBride also flashed his trademark defense, limiting Darius Garland to 3-of-8 from the field in the first half as Cleveland failed to pull away. Garland found a groove in the second half but fellow backcourt threat Max Strus sank only 2-of-9.
"He was running around with Darius Garland,” Josh Hart, earner of a triple-double, said in Bondy's report. “If Garland wasn’t in the game, he was running around with Strus and (Sam) Merrill. So that speaks volumes to his conditioning, his competitiveness, his tenacity. At the end of the day, once you’re in it, that competitive nature really kinda just takes over. He had that. For him to play 47 minutes straight, it’s absurd.”
Though there's obviously no perfect time for an injury, McBride's outbreak came at peak hours: the third-year man's spot in the rotation has once again been threatened by arrivals from abroad. McBride appears to be gaining favor over the struggling Alec Burks but New York is reportedly set to bring in the similarly skilled Shake Milton, formerly of Philadelphia, which could further threaten his minutes.
The West Virginia alum said that Milton's impending arrival was the furthest thing from his mind when he took the floor on Sunday.
"I really try not to worry about it,” McBride said, per Bondy. “I think I can just do what I can do, work as hard as I can. If my name is called, my name is called. Anything else really just doesn’t affect me.”
Time will tell how the rotation looks comes Tuesday, when the Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
