Miles McBride missed a second straight game as the Knicks waited for his inflamed knee to “calm down,” according to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
McBride, the sixth man, hyperextended his left knee in the second game of the season last month and played the following nine with a black wrap around it.
Thibodeau, often excessively unspecific about injuries, said after the Knicks’ 134-106 victory over the Wizards on Monday that he didn’t know if the inflammation is related to the October hyperextension.
“I’m not quite sure. We just want to let it calm down,” the coach said. “And then once he’s ready to go, we just don’t want him to linger. Getting a little better. Just be patient.”
Cam Payne was the only guard off the bench and scored 17 points while going 5-for-6 from three, while rookie Pacome Dadiet scored nine points on three 3s.
Payne knocked down five 3-pointers in the two victories over the Nets.
“Another spark plug,” Thibodeau said. “I like the energy he brings off the bench, the pace of the game. And obviously it picks up and we’re still trying to find a rhythm with that group. But he likes to play fast and that energy is invaluable. He can handle the ball, he can play off the ball as well.”
Thibodeau said he “believes” Precious Achiuwa, who still hasn’t played this season because of a strained hamstring, will accompany the team on the five-game, 10-day road trip that begins Wednesday in Phoenix.
Achiuwa was also on the team’s previous long road trip spanning Halloween but didn’t play.
A source expressed optimism that Achiuwa will be cleared to at least practice during the trip, which includes games at Utah, Denver, Dallas and Charlotte.
Without Achiuwa, Thibodeau has consistently used Jericho Sims, who had seven points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes Monday, as the backup center while pumping up his defensive prowess.
“When you look at Jericho, he’s No. 1 among centers in defensive field-goal percentage in the restricted [area],” Thibodeau said. “So I know what he provides there.”
Karl-Anthony Towns was not listed on the injury report after taking a hard spill in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Nets and scored 24 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. … The Wizards were missing 20-year-old Bilal Coulibaly, who sustained a head injury after getting elbowed in the face during Sunday’s loss to the Pistons.
