Immanuel Quickley returns, adding firepower to Knicks' bench
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley reacts after a three-point shot against the Suns during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 2. Credit: Brad Penner
Immanuel Quickley was back in action Tuesday after missing his first game of the season Sunday in Toronto with a sore left knee. For the Knicks it was a plus to have Quickley, who has been one of their most consistent contributors, back in action. But perhaps more important it was a necessary addition to the bench.
Without Quickley the Knicks bench collapsed in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter Sunday. While Obi Toppin picked up some of the scoring slack with a 14-point effort, 12 points came in the first half and he, along with the rest of the second unit, were quickly yanked in the fourth quarter as Toronto mounted a 13-2 run to start the period after the Knicks had fought back to tie the score after three quarters.
“You don’t have a long runway,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of the quick hook. “It was a tie score going into the fourth, and then it was 13-2. We’re giving up second shots, the ball’s getting to the middle of the floor. So we’ve got to play better.”
Still, Toppin’s first double-figure scoring game since Nov. 13 wasn’t lost on Thibodeau.
“Very aggressive, I liked it a lot,” he said. “I thought our bench in the first half played well. So the challenge is we’ve got to get the bench playing well in both halves.”
College honor roll
Jalen Brunson will have his jersey retired at Villanova February 8. The Knicks are in Orlando the night before and will play at Philadelphia February 10, so Brunson will be able to be on hand for the ceremony.
Fournier on leave
Evan Fournier, who played for the first time in seven games Sunday, was not with the team Tuesday but with his wife who was giving birth.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
