Miles Mcbride Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Towns, McBride, Anunoby, Brunson, Robinson

April 26th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks came away with a close win in Game 3 against the Pistons facing a loud Detroit crowd. It’s no coincidence that as the Knicks played faster, Karl-Anthony Towns had his best offensive game of the series, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes.

Towns scored 31 points on 10 made field goals, including a handful that came with over 14 seconds still left on the shot clock, according to Edwards, who says Towns was purposeful and imposed his will.

“In transition, KAT is someone I’m definitely trying to look for and find while he’s flowing into the half court, where he can knock down shots trailing or able to attack,” teammate Josh Hart said.

In a separate story, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes that Jalen Brunson and Towns ran 17 pick-and-rolls in Game 3, their second-highest single-game total since January. New York was able to take advantage of Jalen Duren guarding Towns as opposed to a wing.

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In the same story for The Athletic, Katz analyzes the play of both Miles McBride and OG Anunoby, opining that New York needs more from McBride in order to help secure a series win over the Pistons. McBride isn’t playing much, but New York’s reserves have only scored 39 points in the series, and that will likely need to change to keep the starters fresh. As for Anunoby, Katz explains why he’s prone to defensive ‘heat checks’ and why his attention to detail is standing out. Jared Schwartz of the New York Post observes that Anunoby helped hold Cade Cunningham to 10-of-25 shooting from the field in Game 3.
The Knicks were able to rely on their reserves in a come-from-behind Game 1 win, with Cameron Payne in particular standing out. Like Katz, Zach Braziller of the New York Post observes that New York’s depth has been outshone in the two games since then. With the Pistons getting massive contributions from reserves like Dennis Schröder and Malik Beasley, the Knicks’ lack of depth could become an issue, Braziller suggests.
Brunson reacted well to Detroit crowd berating him with derisive chants and responded with an impressive 30-point game to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds, Ian Begley of SNY writes. “I don’t think crowds understand, especially with pros and guys that are really good, they’re probably going to be really good when you’re chanting they’re name,” teammate P.J. Tucker said. “When you’re saying what they said, it probably gives them a little incentive to play a little better, play a little harder.”
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson missed Saturday’s practice due to an illness, but Thibodeau believe the big man “should be fine” for Game 4 on Sunday, according to Begley (Twitter links). Thibodeau added that Robinson is no longer on a minutes restriction.

Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Brunson, Hukporti, Rotation

April 19th, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked ahead of the Knicks‘ first-round series about speculation that head coach Tom Thibodeau will be on the hot seat if New York doesn’t make a deep playoff run, star point guard Jalen Brunson referred to himself as a “big Thibs supporter” and strongly backed his coach, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post writes.

“He means a lot,” Brunson said on Friday (Twitter video link). “Individually, he’s meant a lot to my career. I’d say he’s meant a decent amount to (Karl-Anthony Towns), coaching KAT in Minnesota and here. There’s a lot of players who can say they’ve definitely benefited from Tom Thibodeau in his career.

“But I think as a team, we’re always in a position where we can compete in the postseason since I’ve been here. He’s very prepared. He’s a very prepared individual. He’s done a lot for my career, so I’m always going to be a supporter. Always. Even when he annoys me. Always.”

Thibodeau has faced criticism over the years due a perception that he overworks his top players, and three Knicks ranked among the top six players in the NBA in minutes per game this season. But New York will enter the 2025 postseason with nearly all of its players – including everyone who’s part of the rotation – fully healthy, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post notes.

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Rookie center Ariel Hukporti, who has been out since February 26 while recovering from surgery on his left meniscus, was upgraded to questionable for Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series vs. Detroit and practiced on Friday, tweets Bondy. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Thibodeau referred to Hukporti as a game-time decision, though it seems unlikely that he’d be part of the team’s rotation even if he’s healthy enough to play.
In a separate story for The New York Post, Bondy weighs the case for and against expanding the Knicks’ playoff rotation beyond seven players. As Bondy outlines, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson are locks to see regular minutes off the bench, but it’s unclear whether Landry Shamet, Precious Achiuwa, or Cameron Payne will get off the bench. If Thibodeau does use an eighth man, Bondy believes Shamet is the best bet for that role.
Even after the Knicks added Towns and Mikal Bridges as offensive weapons last offseason, Brunson still led the team and ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference with 26.0 points per game. The Knicks will need him more than ever in order to make a playoff run this spring, says James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Knicks Notes: Rotation, McBride, Robinson, Towns, Bridges, Brunson, Toughness

April 15th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

How low will coach Tom Thibodeau go? In this instance, we’re talking about his rotation.

Thibodeau sliced his rotation to eight players in last year’s playoffs, then cut it to seven when injuries struck. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy anticipates that Thibodeau will rely heavily on his starting unit once again in the opening-round series against Detroit.

Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson appear to be the only locks to get steady playing time off the bench. Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa are the other reserves who could be called upon but it’s likely only one will get rotation minutes, according to Bondy, who recommends that the hot-shooting Shamet should be the choice.

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It’ll be the first postseason with the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the front office’s two major acquisitions to become a championship-level team. The pressure will be on that duo to produce, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. “I think for me and Mikal, we just wanted to show our value to the team,” Towns said. “And I think that throughout the year, we’ve had the opportunity to do that, to our fans and our teammates and our coaching staff.”
Jalen Brunson, who returned from an ankle injury this month to play four games, says that past playoff experiences will help the club navigate this postseason, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “I think for us, it’s, like any other season, it’s a roller coaster every year, there’s gonna be ups and downs, and it’s all about how you manage it,” Brunson said. “But now that the regular season’s over, it’s all about how we can move on and be better the next day. I know it’s a term that people don’t like to hear, but we learn from what we did in the past, good and bad, and move on and get better. That’s the name of the game at this stage of the season. … So we’re just focused. We still got a long way to go with preparation, still got a long way to go making sure we’re ready to go for Saturday. We’ll be ready.”
The talent is there but are the Knicks tough enough to make it past the physical Pistons and other potential opponents? Newsday’s Steve Popper explores that topic in a subscriber-only story.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Rotation, Durant

April 7th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson was rusty in his return on Sunday after missing 15 games with a badly sprained ankle, but he did enough to help the Knicks close out a win against Phoenix, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Brunson scored 15 points on the night, with seven of them coming in the final two minutes to shut down a late Suns rally.

“I could be better, could be worse,” Brunson said. “A lot of room for improvement on my end, obviously. I’m surprised about the conditioning part. I thought that would be a lot worse, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Mentally … just making sure I can trust myself in the things that I do. Everyone always talks about the physical part (of coming back from injury), but mentally, it’s about trusting your movements, the way you play and not second-guessing yourself. That was a huge adjustment, but I’m feeling a lot better.”

The Knicks now have a fully healthy rotation for the first time as they head into the final week of the season. At 50-28 and with the No. 3 seed virtually locked up, coach Tom Thibodeau wants to use that time as early preparation for the playoffs.

“As you head down the stretch, you want to check boxes,” Thibodeau said. “You want a winning record at home, winning record on the road. Fifty wins is good, and you want the highest seed possible. And then you want to be playing well. We’re going step by step. We’re not skipping over anything. This is the approach that we’ve taken all season long, so we’re not going to change now. We feel like this will help prepare us for what’s down the road.”

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Brunson’s return didn’t slow down the scoring tear that OG Anunoby has been on, Edwards adds. Anunoby shredded the Phoenix defense for 32 points while shooting 13-of-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He’s averaging 24.9 PPG over the last three weeks.
Miles McBride also returned Sunday after missing eight games with a groin injury. With Brunson back and Cameron Payne recently returning from a sprained ankle, Edwards notes that the Knicks suddenly have an abundance of guards and Thibodeau faces some difficult decisions regarding playing time. He used a nine-man rotation on Sunday, with Landry Shamet filling the final spot. Delon Wright, who filled in as a starter while Brunson and Payne were sidelined, didn’t play, nor did Precious Achiuwa, who has seen regular minutes as a backup big man for most of the season.
The Knicks should resist any temptation to trade for Suns star Kevin Durant, who is expected to be shopped this summer, advises Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscription required). Durant remains an elite scorer at age 36, but Vaccaro notes that he spurned the Knicks in free agency in 2019 and likely wouldn’t be worth the price it would take to acquire him.

Injury Notes: Giannis, Avdija, K. Murray, Celtics, Knicks

April 6th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went from questionable to doubtful to out for Sunday’s game against New Orleans, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (All Twitter links). The two-time MVP is dealing with left shoulder tendinopathy.

It’s worth noting that Milwaukee was on the second end of a back-to-back and officially clinched a playoff spot in the East on Saturday. That’s not to suggest that Antetokounmpo’s injury isn’t legitimate, but there’s also no reason to rush him back when the team has already secured a playoff berth.

Antetokounmpo, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past six seasons, will need to play in one of the Bucks’ final four games to qualify for major postseason awards. He has been playing some of his basketball of the season recently, averaging 36.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 13.7 assists and 1.7 steals on .638/.500/.838 shooting over the past three games, all victories (39.3 minutes per contest).

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Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is another player who’s been on a tear to close out 2024/25, averaging 26.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals on .520/.457/.817 shooting over his past 13 games (36.6 MPG). However, he recently sustained a sprained right thumb and was ruled out of Sunday’s victory over San Antonio, the team announced (Twitter links). Sacramento’s win over Cleveland on Sunday has officially eliminated Portland from play-in contention, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. That means the Blazers will have a lottery pick for the fourth straight year.
Keegan Murray has been quite durable over his first three NBA seasons, playing 80 games as a rookie in ’22/23 and 77 in ’23/24. He missed his fourth game of ’24/25 on Sunday due to back soreness, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). Trey Lyles started at forward in Murray’s place during the Kings‘ victory, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The fourth overall pick of the 2022 draft, Murray will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
The Celtics played without Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) on Sunday, but they still made quick work of the 17-win Wizards, Brian Robb writes in a pair of stories for MassLive.com. Tatum was initially listed as questionable before being ruled out, while Porzingis was a late scratch.
As expected, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride back in action for Sunday’s contest vs. Phoenix, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (Twitter links). Brunson had missed the past 15 games with a right ankle sprain, whereas McBride had missed the past eight with a left groin injury.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Hart, Thibodeau, Anthony

April 6th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks‘ backcourt is about to get much healthier for the final week of the regular season, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Star guard Jalen Brunson is expected to be in the lineup tonight against Phoenix after missing 15 games with a sprained right ankle. Miles McBride is also due back soon from a groin injury that has sidelined him since March 20.

“I know any team would be very much improved with Deuce McBride and Jalen Brunson,” Karl-Anthony Towns said after Saturday’s win over Atlanta. “We’re going to do everything we can because the goal was that we’re farther along when we’re back to integrating them back — that we give him a better team than where they left it.”

Cameron Payne returned to action Saturday after missing four games with an ankle sprain, as rookie guard Tyler Kolek slipped out of the rotation. Delon Wright, who made his fifth consecutive start at point guard, also figures to have a reduced role with Brunson and McBride back, but coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t want to answer questions about the rotation.

“The notion of all that stuff, it’s white noise,” Thibodeau said. “The game tells you what to do. Whose shot is it in transition? The open man. And if there’s two on somebody, whose shot is it? You have the responsibility as a primary scorer to make the right play.

“The notion that it has to be this way, that way, there has to be a willingness to sacrifice by everybody. The team has to come first. What’s best for our team? What gives the team the best chance to win? And that’s all anyone should be thinking about. They shouldn’t be thinking about who’s doing this, who’s doing that. That’s not the way this game works. If you care about winning, that stuff shouldn’t matter.”

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Josh Hart, who finished one rebound short of a triple-double on Saturday, admitted that he didn’t react well when he stormed off the court after being pulled from the game with 90 seconds remaining, Bondy states in a separate story. “I wanted to stay in to get the last one, but I wasn’t playing the game the right way,” Hart said. “I was trying to play for that. I didn’t really deserve it, and that’s probably why I didn’t get it. I was playing the game the wrong way at that point, so it is what it is.”
Saturday’s win was Thibodeau’s 224th with the Knicks, moving him past Pat Riley on the franchise victories list, Bondy adds. Thibodeau trails only Red Holtzman, Joe Lapchick and Jeff Van Gundy.
Carmelo Anthony, who was announced Saturday as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, would like to see the Knicks retire his number, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Anthony spent six and a half years with the organization and is one of just seven Knicks players to reach 10,000 points. “A lot of surprises are happening right now around me, so I’m trying to stay in the moment,” Anthony said, “and if that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that. I would love to see that jersey hung up.”

Knicks Notes: Brunson, McBride, Payne, Anunoby, Hart, More

April 3rd, 2025 at 7:30am CST by Luke Adams

Jalen Brunson, who has been out since March 6 with a sprained ankle, is with the Knicks on their current two-game road trip and is expected to participate in the team’s next practice, which could happen on Friday, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

Given where Brunson is in his rehab process, it’s logical to assume he could return to action for one of the Knicks’ two games this weekend, either on Saturday in Atlanta or on Sunday back home vs. Phoenix, Bondy writes. Ian Begley of SNY.tv made a similar prediction, suggesting that he anticipates seeing Brunson play in one of those two games based on his current recovery trajectory.

The Knicks have six games left on their regular season schedule, so if Brunson is back in action for one of the next two contests, he’d have a week to get his feet back under him before the playoffs get underway. A weekend return would also put him in position to play the four games he needs to meet the 65-game minimum and qualify for end-of-season award consideration.

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Brunson isn’t the only Knicks guard nearing a return from an injury. Miles McBride, who has missed seven games with a groin issue, and Cameron Payne, sidelined for the last four with a sprained ankle, are both close, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Wednesday. “Deuce and Cam should be any day,” Thibodeau said, per Bondy.
OG Anunoby is playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late, averaging 23.3 points per game on .476/.394/.843 shooting with his usual lock-down defense over the past 17 games. The key for the Knicks will be to see if they can keep getting this version of Anunoby after Brunson returns, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, noting that the forward is driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line more effectively than ever. “He’s got a great mix going right now with attacking the rim, getting to the line and high-volume threes … he’s not hesitating,” Thibodeau said. “It’s really, really good basketball. And his defense is elite.”
The construction of the Knicks’ roster “fits me like a glove,” forward Josh Hart tells Bondy (subscription required), explaining that the healthy version of the starting lineup allows him to be the best version of himself. “We have three guys who can be No. 1 options (Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges). And you got OG, who can be a 2-3 option. So for me, it’s a benefit. Because I always got the worst defender,” Hart said. “And then if it’s a small guy on me, he got to worry about me crashing the boards. If it’s a big, we’re not hiding him. He’s going to be put into the action, and that allows me to kind of get into space and play my game.”
Begley checks in on where things stand with Mitchell Robinson‘s conditioning and talks to veteran wing Landry Shamet about the role he’s playing for the Knicks.
It would behoove the Knicks to lock up the No. 3 seed in the East sooner rather than later, according to Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscriber link), who notes that the team would benefit from getting its regulars some rest (or at least reduced minutes) in the final games of the season. New York’s magic number to clinch the No. 3 spot is down to three.

Knicks Notes: Tucker, Roster, Shamet, Wright, Robinson, Towns

April 1st, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks added P.J. Tucker on a standard two-year contract but they could still add another player to the 15-man roster within the next couple weeks, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.

There’s enough wiggle room under the second apron to add another veteran free agent on a minimum deal before the end of the regular season. However, the team would need to waive a player in order to create room on the roster to sign another free agent.

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Delon Wright and Landry Shamet are getting steady minutes with Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Cameron Payne on the mend. Wright, a defensive stopper, and Shamet, an offensive threat, could still play roles as the backcourt gets healthier, Andrew Crane of the New York Post writes. Wright started his third consecutive game on Tuesday against Philadelphia, while Shamet has delivered double-digit scoring off the bench in three of the last four games. Coach Tom Thibodeau appreciates Wright’s defensive prowess. “He’s got great size at his position,” Thibodeau said. “That’s his gift, is his defense, and he gets a lot of deflections.” Both players are on expiring contracts.
The return of Mitchell Robinson from ankle and foot injuries has impacted the defense, according to Begley and Robinson’s teammates. The team had the sixth-best defensive rating in March, its best ranking in any month this season. “The last month and a half, he’s been a monster defensively,” Josh Hart said. “Blowing up screens, blowing up handoffs, like a free safety on that backside.”
Robinson got a chance to start on Tuesday as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out due to a knee injury, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. Towns has appeared in 67 of 75 games.

Knicks Notes: Guards, Anunoby, Robinson, Tucker

March 30th, 2025 at 1:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The shorthanded Knicks will be without all three of their top point guards ahead of a Sunday meeting with the Trail Blazers.

Stefan Bondy of The New York Post tweets that All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson (ankle sprain) and his backups Miles McBride (groin contusion/strain) and Cameron Payne (ankle sprain) will all sit out. Rookie center Ariel Hukporti is also sidelined as he continues to recovery from knee surgery.

Brunson has been on the shelf for New York’s last 11 contests due to a right ankle sprain. The Knicks have gone just 6-5 in that span, but still control the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed by 3.5 games over the No. 4 Pacers as of this writing.

Veteran Delon Wright started at the point during the Knicks’ most recent game, a win over the Bucks on Friday. In his first extended action for the team, Wright scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field in 30 minutes.

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Knicks swingman OG Anunoby has stepped into the scoring and leadership void left by Brunson during the point guard’s absence, per Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). “I always try to be aggressive,” Anunoby said. “Just depending on situations, sometimes it comes or something doesn’t. Just today I was really aggressive. I try to play the right way and read the game, and also just trying to get fouled, get teams in the bonus, create fouls, being aggressive at all times.” Across the 11 bouts Brunson has missed, Anunoby has been averaging 22.4 PPG.
Knicks reserve center Mitchell Robinson is rediscovering his rebounding acumen as he settles into life with the 2024/25 iteration of the club following a lengthy injury layoff, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. In the first half of New York’s 116-107 road victory against Milwaukee on Friday, Robinson pulled down 10 boards. “Yeah, I feel like [I’m getting my rhythm back],” Robinson said. “I definitely think that is true on my end. Once you get going and you get the first one, you see how shots are going, long, short, whatever, once you kind of get a pattern of it there you go.”
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker saw his latest 10-day deal with the Knicks expire on Saturday night. According to Bondy (Twitter link), while Tucker could rejoin the club at some point this season, he is not on the team’s roster for Sunday’s matchup with Portland. The 39-year-old veteran logged just two minutes in a single appearance for New York during his two 10-day contracts.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Brown, Sixers, Maxey, Payne, Robinson

March 27th, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics didn’t have Jayson Tatum on Wednesday due to an ankle injury. It didn’t matter, as they blew out the Suns, 132-102, for their seventh straight victory.

Boston is rounding into playoff form at just the right time. The Celtics have won 14 of their last 15 road games with their only loss coming against the Pistons on Feb. 27.

Another encouraging sign, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com, is that Jaylen Brown looks healthy, In his second game back after missing three with a knee injury, Brown had 24 points in 29 minutes.

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The Sixers are desperately trying to retain a top-six selection so that they don’t have to forward their first-round pick to the Thunder. That made Wednesday’s 119-114 loss to the woeful Wizards a key one, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers have lost six straight and 23 of their last 27 games. They remain tied with the Nets for the league’s fifth-worst record with nine games remaining. Philadelphia has a home back-to-back against Miami and Toronto this weekend.
While Sixers coach Nick Nurse believes Tyrese Maxey will play again this season, Pompey argues that there’s no reason to bring him back under the current circumstances. Maxey hasn’t played since March 3 due to back and finger injuries.
The Knicks‘ point guard depth took another hit on Wednesday. Cameron Payne, who started with Jalen Brunson (ankle) and Miles McBride (groin) sidelined, rolled his ankle in the first half against the Clippers and did not return. Rookie Tyler Kolek played 19 scoreless minutes with seven assists but was exploited defensively, ESPN’s Chris Herring notes. “They kept coming at us with that high two-man game, and I’ve got to be better about defending that,” Kolek said.
Mitchell Robinson is hopeful he can play in both ends of a back-to-back before the end of the regular season. He has not yet been cleared by the Knicks medical staff to play in back-to-back games. Robinson didn’t play in Tuesday’s win over Dallas, then logged 13 minutes against the Clippers. Robinson told SNY’s Ian Begley that he’ll “probably” be cleared soon.