The depth of the New York Knicks has been tested throughout the 2023-24 NBA regular season. They have had to deal with injuries to several key players, pushing guys further down the depth chart into prominent roles.
One of the players who have had their number called a lot more than anticipated is Miles McBride. Coming into the campaign, he was the No. 3 point guard behind Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley.
Part of the reason the Knicks were willing to include Quickley in the blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors was to open up playing time for McBride. The front office and coaching staff liked him so much, that they agreed to a three-year, $13 million contract with him shortly after the trade was done.
That deal has proven to be a steal for Leon Rose and the Knicks. McBride has quickly outproduced that contract, providing production on the court whenever his number is called. He has played well when stepping into the lineup in Brunson’s place or as his backup.
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On Monday, he filled another role for the team. With OG Anunoby sidelined again because of his elbow injury, it was McBride, not Precious Achiuwa, who was inserted into the starting lineup against the Golden State Warriors.
Anyone who has watched Tom Thibodeau coach knows that he usually prefers having as much size as possible in the lineup. But, the Knicks were blitzed early by the Warriors in their first matchup when they started two big men, so he made the adjustment to go small with McBride joining Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The results were magnificent. Even the most optimistic of people could not have seen what the Knicks accomplished on Monday coming. McBride was the star of the game, scoring a career-high 29 points.
He knocked down 9-of-13 shots, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the foul line to record his career high. He played 46:31 in the game, only coming out for 89 seconds in the fourth quarter.
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While the scoring output was impressive, what McBride was able to do against Curry, one of the most gifted scorers and the best shooter the NBA has ever seen, was the most impressive thing of his night. From the opening tip down to the final buzzer, McBride was hounding Curry, oftentimes picking up for the entire 94 feet of the court.
McBride got up into Curry right from the start, not allowing him to get going early as he did in Madison Square Garden during their first meeting. Wherever Curry went, McBride was right there, sticking to him like white on rice.
Noted by DJ Ace on X, Curry found little success while being defended by McBride. They were matched up against each other for 51 possessions. On those possessions, Curry shot only 4-of-13 from the field with one assist and two turnovers.
When McBride wasn’t defending Curry, he found a ton of success. As shared by The Strickland on X, Curry shot 4-of-7 when defended by everyone else. He didn’t commit a turnover and handed out four assists as well.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Miles McBride, Stephen Curry, New York Knicks Updates
While his defense on Curry was stellar throughout the game, it was another defensive play that will stand out in the minds of many people as a turning point. Late in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson committed a turnover, which turned into a fast break for the Warriors.
Andrew Wiggins was heading to the rim unimpeded, but McBride hustled back and committed a foul instead of giving up two easy points. It saved the Knicks two points on their lead, as Wiggins missed both free throws, keeping the deficit at 12 points and quelling any momentum Golden State was looking to steal away.
After the game, McBride gave praise to the coaching staff and his teammates for believing in him and putting him in positions to succeed. He certainly answered the call, as Thibodeau took a risk and McBride stepped up.
Playing on national television is not easy. Doing so while being matched up against Curry, a former NBA MVP, multi-time champion and future Hall of Famer is another. But, the moment wasn’t too big for McBride, who outplayed Curry in the game and helped the Knicks pick up a huge victory in the third game of their road trip.
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