G League Showcase

Watch: Knicks rookie Miles McBride notches 1st G League double-double

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knicks, new york knicks, miles mcbride

New York Knicks rookie Miles McBride keeps on piling up milestones in his NBA G League assignment.

Barely 24 hours after notching his career-high in scoring, McBride recorded his first double-double in the G League Showcase. The 36th pick of this year’s NBA draft followed up his 31-point, 11-assist effort Thursday night with 23 points and 11 assists.

McBride came through in the clutch as the Westchester Knicks repeated over College Park Skyhawks, 121-117, Friday night at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He sealed the Knicks’ second straight win and fourth in 10 games with a three-pointer and two free throws in the final 80 seconds after the Skyhawks threatened at 116-112.

In a dominant performance against Sharife Cooper and the Skyhawks, McBride came two rebounds shy of a triple-double. Cooper led the Skyhawks with 27 points and five assists but had seven turnovers. McBride only had two errors in 39 minutes.

The Knicks rookie out of West Virginia had six assists in the third quarter alone to help the Knicks get a 96-90 cushion. McBride showed his full offensive arsenal, hitting 8 of 15 shots and 3 of 7 from downtown.

Luka Samanic also had a monster double-double with a new career-high 36 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. Samanic, the Knicks’ two-way player, was an unstoppable force making 15 of 26 shots, including a highlight dunk early in the game.

It was Samanic’s fourth double-double in seven games. Brandon Goodwin added 18 points and seven assists.

Westchester Knicks will have more than one week of rest before taking on playoff-bound Delaware Blue Coats (6-1) on Dec. 12 on the road. It is unclear if McBride will see action as the New York Knicks will host defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on the same day.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Deuce on the loose: Knicks rookie Miles McBride explodes vs Skyhawks

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New York Knicks rookie point guard Miles McBride keeps on getting better with more games in the G League.

In his third G League assignment, McBride recorded a career-high 31 points to lead the Westchester Knicks to a 123-102 rout of the College Park Skyhawks Thursday night at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Knicks improved to 3-6 in the G League Showcase after holding the Skyhawks to a season-low 11 points in the opening quarter and never looked back.

McBride shot 12 of 20 from the field and hit 5 of 10 from downtown for his scoring rampage. He added nine assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 36 minutes. McBride’s scoring performance has jumped from 25 to 29, and 31 points in his first three G League games. He is averaging 28.0 points and 7.7 assists, along with 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from downtown on a staggering 9.7 attempts.

Luka Samanic, Knicks’ two-way player, had his fifth straight 20-point game. The 6-foot-1 Croatian forward also earned his third double-double of the season with 25 points and 16 rebounds that went with four assists and one steal. Samanic picked apart Skyhawks defense with an efficient 8 of 14 shooting from the field, including 3 for 6 three-pointers.

Samanic is averaging a double-double with 26.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in six games. The 21-year old stretch four is shooting 54.6 percent from the field and hitting 44 percent of his 5.7 three-point attempts per game.

Two more Knicks players contributed at least 20 points. Aamir Simms also logged in a double-double with 23 points, 10 boards, and two blocks, while Brandon Goodwin chipped in 20 points and four assists.

The still winless Skyhawks drew 19 points each from Atlanta rookies Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper.

McBride was recalled and practiced with the Knicks on Friday morning. But he is scheduled to play again in the Westchester-College Park rematch later in the night.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo