Apr 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) reacts after making a three point basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
NBA: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
(New York, NY) — Eight points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 48 minutes.
That’s the Quentin Grimes experience.
Joining teammate Jalen Brunson to play every second in the Knicks’ 112-103 win-or-go-home triumph over the Miami Heat in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Quentin Grimes was a valuable cog in the Knicks strategy to shut down Miami–he held Heat star Jimmy Butler to just 19 points.
“He’s probably been the best player of the playoffs so far. So knowing I have that matchup every night, I have to be more disciplined and probably have to play 48,” Grimes said of Butler. “Forty eight or 25, it really doesn’t matter to me. I’ve just got to make sure I’m locked in on him defensively and try to do whatever I can to slow him down.”
Grimes, who was coming off a shoulder injury and ended up hobbling after a rough screen late in the game, stepped up when Josh Hart got into foul trouble.
“I had just bent my knee on the screen, but it’s the playoffs,” Grimes said. “You have to do whatever you can to win. It’s what you live for, it’s what you watched as a kid. So I knew I was hurt a little bit, but it’s not going to stop me from doing whatever I can to get a stop or disrupt the play.”
Knicks’ head coach Tom Thibodeau said of his reserve “One thing about Quentin, I think he spaces the floor for us differently. But he is a two-way player. He is a hustle player. Jimmy’s gonna make you work, and you gotta make him work. And so I thought he did as good a job as you can do.”
If the Knicks want to survive Game 6, they’ll need another defensive effort from him.
