Westchester Knicks

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

Knicks rookie Miles McBride continues to impress in G League

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Knicks photo of Miles McBride dunk

New York Knicks rookie point guard Miles McBride had another solid game in his second G League assignment. But it was not enough as the Westchester Knicks fell short against the Maine Celtics, 110-100, Monday night at Webster Bank Arena.

McBride finished with a G League career-high 28 points highlighted by a thunderous in-your-face slam in the second quarter.

“Just really attacked the rim as hard as I can. I missed a couple of shots, so it’s [letting] frustrations [out],” McBride said of his highlight dunk.

McBride’s frustrations did not go away as the Celtics led by as many as 24 points in the second half. The Knicks blew a 12-point lead in the opening quarter to slide to a 2-6 record.

Not even McBride’s complete line could save them.

The 36th pick of this year’s NBA Draft shot 11 of 25 from the field and made 5 of 12 3s. McBride filled the stats sheet with six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block against two turnovers in 41 minutes.

Through two G League games, McBride averages 26.5 points on a 43/33/100 shooting split with 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.5 steals.

Knicks two-way player, Luka Samanic, continued his explosive scoring acts with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds. The 21-year old Croatian forward hit 5 of 10 3s and added three assists in 39 minutes.

Samanic scored Westchester’s first 11 points in the fourth quarter as they cut the lead down to 14, 92-78. Back-to-back three-pointers from Tyler Hall, who had 25 points, and McBride brought them within eight, 92-84. It was the closest they could get as former Knick Theo Pinson answered with a three-pointer to restore Maine’s double-digit lead.

The Celtics improved to an East regional pod-leading 7-1 record.

The Knicks will host the winless College Park Skyhawks (0-5) on Thursday.

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Knicks assign Miles McBride to Westchester for the second time

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After the New York Knicks dropped Kemba Walker from the rotation, the team also made another point guard move.

The Knicks sent rookie point guard Miles McBride to play for Westchester on Monday night’s game against the Maine Celtics.

The game is set at 7 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

It will mark the second time McBride will play in the G League. Earlier this month, McBride was sensational in his G League debut. The seldom-used Knicks rookie point guard took the most out of the opportunity.

McBride came one assist shy of a double-double providing the jolt for the Westchester Knicks to pick up their first win of the season — a 104-98 victory over Long Island Nets on Nov. 18. He shot 10 of 24 from the field in 41 minutes and only committed three turnovers.

McBride will team up anew with the Knicks’ other two-way player Luka Samanic, the G League’s second-leading scorer. Samanic averages 26.8 points on an efficient 56.9 percent shooting from the floor, including a 39-percent clip from downtown in 30.3 minutes. The 6-10 Croatian forward also norms 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists (against 4.0 turnovers), and 1.5 blocks.

The Westchester Knicks currently hold a 2-5 record in the East.

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Miles McBride dominates in G League debut

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miles mcbride, knicks

New York Knicks rookie Miles McBride made the most out of the opportunity and showed out in a spectacular G League debut.

After playing only four garbage minutes in two games to start his rookie season, McBride proved he belonged to the NBA by stamping his class in the developmental league.

McBride came one assist shy of a double-double providing the jolt for the Westchester Knicks to pick up their first win of the season — a 104-98 victory over Long Island Nets on Wednesday night.

The Knicks rookie guard out of West Virginia scattered 29 points and a game-high nine assists. He added five rebounds and two steals as Westchester won its home opener in its temporary home, snapping a four-game losing skid.

The Knicks affiliate club played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as the Westchester County Center is currently being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

Knicks’ two-way player Luca Samanic was also impressive in his return from a heel injury. The Croatian forward scored 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as he and McBride teamed up as Westchester’s 1-2 punch combo.

McBride picked up the pace from the start pouring in nine points and four assists in the opening quarter. His seven-point outburst transformed a one-point deficit into a 25-22 lead, which the Knicks never relinquished.

“I love him, I love him,’’ Thibodeau said of McBride before his Knicks lost to Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden later in the night. “I think it’s important for him to be with us. But every opportunity we get where we can have him play some, we want to try to take advantage of that as well. But he’s got a great future, a great kid, hard worker. And when you come into this league, it’s all about — you’ve got to learn first. And that’s what he’s doing.”

Westchester led by as many as 17 before a spirited Long Island comeback trimmed the deficit to two points at the start of the third quarter.

A Samanic three-pointer off a McBride assist triggered a 10-2 salvo that restored order for the Knicks. McBride punctuated the run with a thunderous dunk as the Knicks grabbed a 72-62 lead with 8:55 left in the third quarter.

“It’s just day-to-day,’’ Thibodeau said. “When we have an opportunity to send him, we’ll send him. I love the proximity of it where it’s right there, and it’s in our building. So I think it’s important for him to be with us in practice and games. But anytime we have a situation where he can do both. Ideally, that’s what we would like to have.

“There will be some [days] where he goes back and forth. I love who he is. He’s a big part of practice every day for us.”

McBride played 41 minutes and only committed three turnovers. He shot 10 of 24 from the field.

Samanic, a waiver pickup after San Antonio Spurs dumped him, played 32 minutes in his return. He added two assists and made 12 of 23 shots.

Aamir Simms backstopped Westchester’s 1-2 punch combo with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Westchester’s next game will be on Nov. 23, a rematch against the Nets at home. It is unclear if McBride will see action again as the Knicks will also host the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on the same night.

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Knicks bring back controversial guard Myles Powell after waiving Tyler Hall

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Former Seton Hall star Myles Powell is back with the New York Knicks as the 20th man on the roster.

The team announced Powell’s signing Tuesday after waiving Tyler Hall. Though terms of the deal were not disclosed, Powell will likely compete for the remaining two-way spot in the roster. Rookie Jericho Sims, the 58th overall pick, is currently slotted in the Knicks’ first two-way slot.

After going undrafted last year, Powell signed a training camp deal with the Knicks but did not make the active lineup. He was relegated to the Knicks’ G League affiliate club in Westchester.

In the G League bubble last season, the 6-foot-2 Powell averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 13 games, including three starts. His impressive G League play earned him a two-way contract with the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, but he never saw action.

The Trenton, NJ native was named the 2019-20 Big East Player of the Year and finished his impressive college run as Seton Hall’s third all-time leading scorer. However, the undersized star shooting guard couldn’t parlay his sterling college resume into an NBA career.

In July, he sued his Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard and Tony Testa, a staff member, for misdiagnosing a knee injury during his senior year. He blamed the incident for his unsuccessful NBA Draft, causing severe physical and financial consequences damage.

The suit alleged NBA teams discovered that the ankle injury which bothered Powell in his last year with Seton Hall was actually a lateral meniscus tear to his right knee. Powell continued to play well with the injury but with the help of pain killer medication injected by Testa.

The school responded to the lawsuit by filing a motion to dismiss it in August.

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New format awaits Westchester Knicks in G League

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jericho sims, knicks

Jericho Sims, the New York Knicks‘ 58th pick in the NBA Draft, will have more games to develop with the Westchester Knicks in the reformatted G League season.

The new G League format will feature two tournaments within the season.  On top of the 36-game regular season, a 14-game expanded Showcase Cup will bring the total games to 50 for each team.

The Showcase Cup tips off on Nov. 5 and will conclude at the annual NBA G League Winter Showcase from Dec. 19-22. Meanwhile, the regular season begins on Dec. 27.

The G League Ignite is the pathway program of the NBA for the top high school prospects who didn’t go the college route.

In the Showcase Cup, the 29 regular teams and the G League Ignite will be divided into four regional pods where they will play 12 games against each other in NBA G League markets.

The teams with the best winning percentage in each regional pod and the next top four teams across the league will advance to the single-elimination NBA G League Winter Showcase.

Team records will reset in the 36-game regular season as the NBA G League Ignite and expansion team Capitanes de la Ciudad de México will only play in the Showcase Cup. The top six teams in each conference will qualify for the NBA G League playoffs.

The Knicks will open their Showcase Cup schedule against Capital City Go-Go in back-to-back road games on Nov. 5 and 6.

Their regular season tips off against the Lakeland Magic in similar back-to-back road games on Dec. 28 and 30.

Sims, who signed a two-way contract with the Knicks, averaged 8.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, one assist, and one block in the NBA Summer League. He shot a staggering 81 percent from the field. As a two-way player, Sims is eligible to join the Knicks’ active roster up to 50 games in the regular season.

Joining Sims in the Knicks’ G League team is former UCLA point guard Jaylen Hands, acquired from the Long Island Nets on Monday. The Knicks sent the returning rights of Bryce Brown to the Nets in exchange for Hands, the 56th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Hands played overseas last season, averaging 8.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 12 games for the FMP of the ABA League First Division and Basketball League of Serbia.

MJ Walker and Aamir Simms, who played for the Knicks Summer League team in Las Vegas, will likely join Sims and Hands in the G League. The Knicks signed both Walker and Simms to an Exhibit 10 deal last month.

Walker averaged 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in three games with the Knicks’ Summer League team. On the other hand, Simms posted 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in four games in Las Vegas.

The rest of the Westchester Knicks roster is expected to be announced in the next coming days.

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Myles Powell returns to Knicks on a two-way contract

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Former Seton Hall star Myles Powell has found his way back to New York.

On Friday, the Knicks announced that they had converted Jared Harper’s two-way contract into a 10-day contract to make a spot for Powell.

The undrafted Powell took Harper’s previous spot as one of the Knicks’ two-way players.

Powell was recently dropped by the Milwaukee Bucks, who signed him to a two-way deal after his solid G League campaign with the Westchester Knicks.

The Trenton, New Jersey native, averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals with a 45/45/82 shooting splits in 28.1 minutes in 13 games with the Knicks’ G League affiliate team.

Powell was the 2019-20 Big East Player of the Year and was named to the First Team All-American. But he went undrafted, and the Knicks signed him to an exhibit 10 contract to join their training camp.

Harper is expected to sign a second 10-day contract which will make him part of the Knicks for the rest of the regular season.

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Jared Harper named to All-NBA G League First team but still long shot to crack Knicks rotation

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New York Knicks’ two-way player Jared Harper was named to the 2021 All-NBA G League First Team on Tuesday.

Harper joined NBA G League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year Paul Reed of the Delaware Blue Coats, Oklahoma City Blue center Moses Brown, Lakeland Magic forward Mamadi Diakite, and Rio Grande Valley Vipers guard Kevin Porter Jr. in the selection.

Brown and Porter Jr. parlayed their outstanding G League performance to a significant role with their respective NBA mother clubs Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

On the other hand, the 5-foot-10 Harper’s chances of cracking the Knicks’ rotation is slim to none despite a stellar G League campaign.

Harper led the Westchester Knicks, New York’s affiliate team, to a 7-8 record in the G League bubble while leading the team in scoring, assists, and minutes. He made history by becoming Westchester’s first-ever recipient of the award, the highest nod a player has received in franchise history.

Harper finished fourth in the league in scoring with 21.3 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting. He had a pair of 30-point performances, including a career-high 35 points in the Knicks’ season finale win against Erie Bayhawks.

Harper also ended up as the second-best passer in the G League this season with 6.9 assists per game. He eclipsed the 10-assist mark four times this season, topped by a 13-assist showing against Fort Wayne, which tied his career-high.

The former Auburn star who went undrafted in 2019 also showed his impeccable marksmanship averaging 2.4 three-pointers made per game (third-best on the team) on a 40.3-percent clip.

Harper has appeared in garbage time in two New York Knicks games this season, totaling five minutes and two points.

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Knicks pick up Quinton Rose to replace Myles Powell

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The Westchester Knicks acquired former Temple standout Quinton Rose, after Myles Powell left the G League Orlando Bubble.

Powell joined the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-way contract with Rose taking his spot in the Knicks’ G League team roster.

The 6-foot-8 Rose went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft but signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Sacramento Kings. He entered the Available Player Pool after Sacramento’s G League affiliate, Stockton Kings, begged off from participating in the condensed season.

Rose finished his Temple run with 14.4 points, 2.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals through 129 games with 102 starts. His 1,860 amassed points rank sixth all-time in the Owls’ history. Rose also racked up 231 steals throughout his four-year stay at Temple that stands as seventh all-time in the program history.

The Knicks, however, will only have one game left after a narrow 122-120 loss to Agua Caliente Clippers. Their eighth loss in 14 games eliminated them from playoff contention.

Only the top eight teams will advance in the single-elimination playoffs.

The Knicks will wrap up their G League season against the league-leading Erie Bayhawks (11-3) at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

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Bucks grab Myles Powell from Knicks

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The New York Knicks lost former Seton Hall star Myles Powell to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks plan to sign Powell to a two-way contract after an impressive stint with the Westchester Knicks in the G League Orlando bubble.

Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the news.

Powell averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals with a 45/45/82 shooting splits in 28.1 minutes. He played 13 games for the Knicks’ G League affiliate team.

Powell is the second Westchester Knicks player to be signed by other NBA teams this season.

Last month, the Houston Rockets signed former Westchester center Justin Patton to a similar two-way contract. The Rockets recently made him their starting center after releasing DeMarcus Cousins. Patton is averaging 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 20.4 minutes for the Rockets.

As the NBA and NBPA intend to loosen the restrictions on two-way contracts this season, Powell will be eligible to play for the Bucks’ regular-season and postseason games once the board approves the revision.

After going undrafted, Powell, the former Big East Player of the Year, signed an exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the regular-season roster. He was relegated to the Knicks’ G League team, where he shined as the team’s third-leading scorer behind Jared Harper and Ignas Brazdeikis.

The Knicks have already maxed out their two-way spots with Harper and Theo Pinson.

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