Even the best teams often fall victim to complacency and fatigue during the final game of a long road trip. On Tuesday evening in Portland, the Knicks certainly looked like a team ready to board the plane back east, as they let the Trail Blazers quickly jump out to a double-digit lead. Portland would push their lead to 16 early in the second quarter. These Knicks are a resilient bunch, but they needed an extra spark off the bench.
Enter Miles “Deuce” McBride.
A deflection and blocked dunk sequence. Deuce is a madman. pic.twitter.com/j58XALfRY2
— DJ (@ACE_ZULLO) March 15, 2023
Deuce played the best game of his NBA career on Tuesday, dropping 18 points, three assists, two blocks and a steal on Portland while also guarding superstar Damian Lillard a good chunk of the time. He was an integral part of the team’s run to take the lead in the third quarter.
DEUCE DOING IT ALL @deucemcb11 pic.twitter.com/mtlQgZgmYa
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 15, 2023
And he played the entire fourth quarter as the Knicks salted away a 123-107 win.
THE DEUCE MCBRIDE GAME.
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) March 15, 2023
CAREER-HIGH 16 PTS NOW pic.twitter.com/TPFSPbPuzR
Immanuel Quickley (team-high 26 points) and RJ Barrett (22 points) also turned it on in the second half. Josh Hart (16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) did plenty of Josh Hart shit. But the game ball belongs to Deuce. When Jalen Brunson comes back, Deuce will probably lose his spot in the rotation. But the kid is a winner.