The Knicks’ guard depth is really being put to the test.
New York is already without All-Star captain Jalen Brunson as he missed his eight consecutive game with a right ankle sprain — and on Saturday night his replacement was sidelined as well, as Miles McBride was ruled out pregame due to a lingering groin injury.
Insert Cam Payne and Tyler Kolek.
The veteran Payne jumped into the starting lineup for just the second time this season and he provided an immediate boost on both ends of the floor — leading the way for New York with 10 first quarter points, four assists, and three points to open an early advantage.
“Shout out to Cam,” Karl-Anthony Towns said postgame. “He stepped in like a true professional and led us. He gave us the spark we needed, without that kind of start from him I don’t know how this game goes — shoutout to him for real.”
Even with that big spark, Tom Thibodeau elected to turn to Kolek to play the entire second quarter as the Knicks held a big lead and he provided a boost of his own — recording four points while dishing a career-high eight assists.
The 23-year-old has been bouncing back-and-forth between the pros and the G League throughout his rookie campaign, but he was certainly impressive in what was his first first-half action since January 1.
“Tyler gave us great minutes,” Thibodeau said postgame. “We built the lead which allowed Cam to get some rest there. It was more how the team was functioning. We stayed organized and he was making the right reads — it was good to see, he’s done a good job for us.”
And later on, it was Payne again, who provided one of the biggest shots of the night.
New York led by as many as 33 points early in the third quarter, but a tremendous Wizards run enabled them to cut that all the way back down to four — before the veteran guard knocked down a massive three to get the Knicks back on track.
They ended up holding on from their to snap their two-game losing skid with a 122-103 win.
“We have to play tougher with the lead,” Thibodeau said. “But that was a big shot for us. Cam ins’t afraid to let it fly in those spots, which is what we like about him. He stepped up and gave us some really good minutes tonight.”
It remains to be seen if McBride will miss any more time with the injury, but with Brunson still only participating in controlled activities, the Knicks will certainly need their guards to build off this strong showing.
New York plays again on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
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