Quickley carries the load off bench for point-guard needy club

Coaches regularly say that a player finishing a game often can be more significant than one who starts. That never felt more evident than with Tom Thibodeau’s point-guard deployment in Saturday’s 119-107 victory in Oklahoma City.

Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose were both out of the lineup, so Frank Ntilikina got his second start of the season. He played only seven minutes (with zero points), however, after committing two early fouls.

Rookie Immanuel Quickley, playing despite being questionable for the game with a sore groin, finished with 21 points and four assists in a career-high 33 minutes off the bench. Alec Burks also earned some time on the ball, finishing with 15 points in 27 minutes.

“I thought we needed everyone’s minutes tonight, pretty much,” Thibodeau said after the Knicks improved to 20-19. “Going into the game, I didn’t know who we would have.

“So we mapped it out with Frank and Quick and Alec. And I thought that was Alec’s first time really handling the ball, running the point. And I thought he did a terrific job for us, as well. That’s what I like about all of those guys, the versatility of the group. It gives you a lot of options.”

Rose missed a fourth straight game, bridging the All-Star break, due to NBA health and safety protocols, although the Knicks still have not revealed whether he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Payton sat out with a sore hamstring, an injury that also forced him to miss four games last month. He and Quickley both participated in pregame warm-ups, but only the rookie was able to play.

Centers Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson recorded virtually identical stat lines with two points, eight rebounds and one blocked shot each in 24 minutes apiece.

“Taj gave us great minutes, Nerlens gave us the rim protection,” Thibodeau said. “We had a lot of guys step up and just found a way to win.”