Mitch Rob Returns and Deuce Dominates

If we are being honest, no team in the East (including Boston) wants to deal with the Knicks in a seven-game series this postseason.

Final Score: Knicks 145 - Raptors 101
Record: 44-28

This is one of those games where it's impossible to choose just one headliner. There were so many good/encouraging/intoxicating takeaways from a night New York set or tied a bunch of franchise records en route to moving up into third place in the East. 

But let's start with the man who got the Knicks off to a hot start. Miles McBride came out firing in Toronto, knocking down six three-pointers in the first ten minutes of the contest, tying the Knicks' all-time record for most made treys in a single quarter (joining John Starks and Quentin Richardson). Deuce would finish the evening with 29 points (on 17 FG attempts), three rebounds, seven assists (vs. just one turnover), one steal, and nine 3-pointers in 40 minutes. 

McBride became just the second Knick to tally at least nine made three-pointers and seven assists in one game. (The other is Jalen Brunson, who had nine treys and nine dimes in his 50-point masterpiece at Phoenix in December.) 

And Deuce is just the sixth NBA player this century with 9+ three-pointers, 7+ assists and fewer than two turnovers. The other five are Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Dame Lillard and Stephen Curry.

Dating back to his rookie season, few folks have pushed more obnoxiously for McBride to see additional playing time and increased opportunities than myself. However, I'd be lying if I said I thought he was capable of the numbers he's been authoring of late. 

Deuce surprisingly entered the starting lineup 10 ten days ago. In the five games the Knicks have played since, he has averaged 21.6 points, 3.8 assists (vs. 0.4 turnovers), and 4.6 made three-pointers in 44.3 minutes (the first Knick to average more than 44 MPG over a five-game span since Jamal Crawford in 2008), all while shooting a scorching 55.2% from the floor, 48.9% from downtown, and 91.7% from the free-throw stripe.