AP Photo/Phil Long
The New York Knicks may have suffered a significant blow in Saturday’s Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that point guard Immanuel Quickley suffered a sprained ankle and the team will learn more about the severity on Sunday. Quickley said his ankle “hurts a lot” and he’s unsure of his status for Monday’s Game 4.
Quickley suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter when Heat center Bam Adebayo fell into his left leg. He was down on the court for a while before heading back to the locker room. The Knicks went on to suffer a 105-86 loss to fall behind in the series 2-1.
Prior to his exit, Quickley had scored 12 points off the bench on 4-of-12 shooting. He has struggled to get into a rhythm during the playoffs, as he’s averaging just 8.5 points while shooting 35.2 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three-point range entering today.
The 23-year-old enjoyed his best season in the league this year, averaging career-highs of 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 28.9 minutes per game while adding 3.4 assists. He finished second in voting for Sixth Man of the Year behind Boston Celtics point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley, who had garnered an endorsement from Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard prior to the announcement of the award, received 34 first-place votes.
Quickley isn’t the only Knicks star to be struggling this postseason. New York forward Julius Randle had just 10 points in Saturday’s loss and entered today averaging just 16.2 points in the playoffs after averaging 25.1 points in the regular season.
New York will look to regain the momentum in the series against Miami in Game 4 on Monday.
