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Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the New York Knicks.
New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo scored a game-high 31 points in the win over the Brooklyn nets on March 22.
In addition to helping the Knicks get back into the win column, the effort was DiVincenzo’s fourth outing with at least 30 points and just seven points shy of his career high, which he also set this season.
Afterwards, DiVincenzo did not hesitate to shower his teammate Deuce McBride with praise.
McBride posted his second 20-plus point outing in the last three games, playing all 48 minutes in the win over Brooklyn.
After recording 18 appearances in the first 31 games, McBride played in 37 consecutive games. He logged over 40 minutes six times during that span and managed to reach two minutes in two others.
“I’m not surprised,” DiVincenzo told reporters on March 22. “Obviously, at the beginning of the year, he wasn’t playing as much. But you have to give him credit for it: Most guys, when they’re not playing much or at all, kind of give in to “Okay.” Well, I’m not going to work, do extra workouts, I’m not going to do that.
“He does everything and he’s ready to go. So when you call his number and he doesn’t come out, that’s what happens. He’s ready to go.
“Honestly, it’s mental,” McBride said during his media availability in the locker room. “I just tell myself [to] keep persevering, give everything I have to achieve victory.
And when he wasn’t playing?
“Try to make practice harder than games,” McBride said. “Doing everything I can: running on the treadmill, riding a bike, and making it feel like a game in practice as much as I can.”
Tom Thibodeau praises Donte DiVincenzo and Deuce McBride
McBride joked that he tried not to look at the head coach Tom Thibodeau during the game for fear of being removed. Thibodeau, however, was very complimentary of DiVicenzo and McBride during his postgame media availability.
“I think both guys hit the right time. » Thibodeau told reporters. “Deuce has been great defensively because he chases [Cam] Thomas around, and Thomas is a load to deal with. And then Donte, it was maybe his best match. Just timely baskets, big, big plays, hectic plays defensively.
Thomas led the Nets with 19 points. But he was ineffective, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and going 1 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Thibodeau also complimented the Knicks guard Josh Hart for his “difficult pieces”.
Knicks keep pace in Eastern Conference playoff race
The Knicks push back the Magic of Orlando for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando suffered a 109-107 loss to the Kings of Sacramentovery slightly strengthening the position of the Knicks.
New York has the easiest remaining strength on schedule, by Tankathonwhich could be the key to Orlando winning the regular season series 3-1.
Both teams are now 7-3 in their last 10 outings.
The Knicks also remained 1.0 games out of third place. Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland has lost two games in a row and lost its regular season series to the Knicks 2-1, giving New York a potentially critical advantage if they finish with the same record.
Winners of five of their last six games, the only thing that could make the Knicks an even more successful team is getting back some of their injured players like OG Anunoby And Julius Randle.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com with a focus on the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. He has covered the NBA and NFL since 2016, including on FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He is based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck Learn more about Josh Buckhalter
