PHILADELPHIA — With 4:31 left in the primary quarter, Miles McBride checked into the sport. By the tip of the period, he had equaled a career-high with 4 3-pointers.
It was a memorable stretch for the reserve point guard, who only broke into the rotation following the recent OG Anunoby trade that sent Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors.
“I believe it was a matter of time,” McBride said after scoring 15 points and adding 4 assists within the Knicks’ surprisingly dominant 128-92 win over the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. “The more opportunities I get, I feel I’m going to proceed to play higher and make more shots.”
McBride was an enormous a part of the win. He scored 12 points in a 14-4 run to shut out the primary quarter that turned a six-point deficit right into a four-point lead. The Knicks never trailed again within the one-sided victory.
“We were hyped on the bench,” Jalen Brunson said.
It was a major performance for McBride, who remains to be trying to carve out a job for himself in his third season with the Knicks.
For now, the defensive-minded guard is a component of coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, though the Knicks are expected so as to add a scoring guard to the second unit prior to the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
“I believe it’s a terrific opportunity for me just with the ability to get into the rotation and really show what my capabilities are,” said McBride, who recently received a three-year, $13 million extension.
McBride’s 15-point outing was by far a season-high, the primary time this yr he had scored in double figures.
In reality, he had scored 42 points all season entering the sport.
Most significantly, the Knicks outscored the 76ers by 20 points within the 14 minutes McBride was on the ground, and the bench as a complete performed well after a shaky effort against the Bulls.
Josh Hart was everywhere in the court at each ends, producing 10 points, 15 rebounds and 6 steals and Quentin Grimes chipped in 18 points and eight rebounds.
“I feel like all of us stepped up,” Hart said. “Second unit, we played like s— the last two games, so I believe all of us got here in, brought great energy, were in a position to get stops, play fast, type of get the momentum.”