New York Knicks sixth man Immanuel Quickley has been on a heater lately, and he continued that in Friday’s dramatic 122-120 victory over the Miami Heat.
The story of the night was Julius Randle’s 43 points and game-winner, but Quickley contributed with a very efficient 21-point, three-assist effort off the bench that included five made three-pointers. Overall, he shot 7-11 from the field and 5-9 from outside the arc.
It was another great performance that has turned the Sixth Man of The Year race into a two-man sprint between Quickley and Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon as the final stretch winds down.
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Immanuel Quickley has been on fire lately:
His performance against Miami marks the 10th consecutive game that he has scored in double figures, and in that stretch, he is averaging over 16 points per game and is shooting 53.7% from the field and 45.2% from downtown.
Quickley has remained confident all season long, even during his turbulent start to the season that worried Knicks fans and sparked trade rumors surrounding his name.
Even when he was not shooting the ball well, he remained impactful in many other areas, including ball movement and defense. Now that his shot efficiency has skyrocketed, the Knicks now have themselves an established threat off the bench that can be inserted almost whenever.
His stellar play has contributed heavily to the Knicks’ eight-game winning streak, as well as the Knicks’ 116.4 offensive rating (fourth best in the NBA).
The hope is that Quickley can continue this style of play as the playoffs await them. It has been a pleasant sight to see given his bench production was a major weakness for most of the season.
Now that the Knicks are at their fullest possible strength with Mitchell Robinson back and Josh Hart inserted into the mix, they are poised to make some real noise down the final stretch and continue that in the playoffs.
Quickley and the Knicks will look to continue their dominance when they take on the Boston Celtics in a road rematch on Sunday.
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