Immanuel Quickley was the great protagonist of the lopsided victory that the New York Knicks reaped in their visit to the Orlando Magic pavilion by 118-88.
The Kentucky-trained player recorded the first triple-double of his NBA career with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 8-of-19 shooting from the field.
“It’s given us a huge boost tonight,” Tom Thibodeau told the NY Post. “It was more because of the way he took care of the ball for us. We had, like, 29 assists and he’s had a lot of good plays. But I think he has made an effort to move the ball from side to side. And whenever your partner rebounds like that, he lets you go out and run down the field. And I want him to continue doing it like this, “explained the technician.
Quickley becomes the second-youngest Knicks player to record a triple-double at 22 years and 290 days, trailing only Kenny Sears, who achieved it at 22 years and 140 days.
In his last 19 games he is averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 44% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three pointers. He has scored double digits in 16 games and has reached at least 20 points on five occasions.
“I told our coaching staff: ‘I think I can get a triple-double.’ And they said, ‘No, you can’t do it.’ But seeing the videos of the matches, how the rivals play and things like that… I am able to read the game and get all those assists. Obviously I’m just doing those little things that help us win, “he added.
Other highlights were RJ Barrett, New Yorkers top scorer with 27 points; followed by an Obi Toppin who repeated as a starter in the absence of Randle, and for the second night in a row he added another 20 points.
For his part, Alec Burks is still on the rise in this final stretch of the season with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and Mitchell Robinson did well under the hoops with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals.
“Obi (Toppin) is really looking forward to it. He is having the opportunity to show himself and to prove who he is. He’s a really good player and he can do that well every night. I don’t think anyone in our squad is surprised by this. I am very happy that he can show it to the whole world, “recognized RJ Barrett.
In the premises, the reserve Moritz Wagner was the most outstanding of the Magic with 18 points and 9 rebounds; seconded by Mo Mamba and former Knickerbocker Ignas Brazdeikis with 13 goals each.
With a record of 35-44, the Knicks have only three games left against Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors with the only incentive of finally winning their first derby of the season (they are currently 0-3 down).
(Cover photo: Rick Osentoski/Getty Images)
