The Deuce has been loose.
Miles McBride, after some early-season struggles, is playing some of his best basketball since sports hernia surgery disrupted his season last year.
He was averaging just 6.4 points on a rough 35.7 percent shooting from the field across the Knicks’ first five games. But over the past six games, McBride averaged 9.2 points on 51.3 percent shooting from the field. He went 14-for-30 (46.7 percent) from 3-point range during that span as well.
McBride drilled five treys in the Knicks’ 115-107 loss to the Cavs Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, helping them claw back within striking distance in the fourth quarter.
His playing time has increased as a result, coinciding with Mikal Bridges’ struggles. Entering the year, McBride was a popular trade candidate because of his expiring contract and the likelihood the Knicks won’t be able to bring him back next year due to owner James Dolan’s mandate to stay under the second apron.
Their depth at guard — and lack of depth at center — presented the enticing possibility of flipping McBride for a big man rather than losing him for nothing in free agency, like what happened with Mitchell Robinson.
McBride’s recent form, though, has made him pivotal to the Knicks’ chances of making another championship run.
The Knicks will have to wait a bit longer to face nemesis Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the team’s NBA Cup game against the Pacers on Friday night in Indiana. The star point guard has missed the past eight games with a hamstring injury, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Wednesday that he will miss at least 10 more days.
The Knicks have not faced Haliburton since he became an MSG villain and eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2025, as he missed all of last season due to a torn Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the Finals that year.
It is possible Haliburton will be back by the time the Knicks host the Pacers at MSG on Nov. 22.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
