Quickley not worried with minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — Immanuel Quickley returned from a knee injury and shot well, but was limited to 18 minutes as Tom Thibodeau continued to navigate his guard surplus.

The 24-year-old backup, who is headed toward free agency in the summer, didn’t have a problem with his minutes.

“Just whatever minutes you get, go out there and be effective,” said Quickley, whose playing time has been cut about four minutes per game from last season. “Whatever minutes I get — whether 15, 20, 25. I played 55 [in an overtime game] last season. Whatever minutes I get, go out there and help the team win.” Still, Quickley said he wasn’t held back by a minutes restriction and felt good on the court. He shot 6-for-8 with 15 points, as one of only two perimeter players (along with Julius Randle) to connect on his field goals at over 50 percent. But Quickley’s defense was also an issue (the Knicks were outscored by 13 points with him on the court), and Thibodeau said he rode with the hot hands down the stretch.

Quickley, often a closer, only played four minutes in the fourth quarter. “We got a little momentum with the group that we finished with,” Thibodeau said. “We were searching.”

➤ Wednesday was the first game for the Knicks this season in high altitude, with the thinness in Salt Lake City’s air only rivaled in the NBA by Denver’s.

Jalen Brunson, who played in the Western Conference for four seasons, said there’s no big secret to managing the altitude. He just burns out his lungs early.

“Get your first wind fast. That’s been my thought process with it. Get your first wind fast, just go from there,” Brunson said.