OKLAHOMA CITY — Miles McBride’s return didn’t last long.
The Knicks guard, who returned from a 28-game absence Sunday following sports hernia surgery, appeared to injure his groin in the third quarter against the Thunder.
He dove for a loose ball, knocked into OKC’s Luguentz Dort, and limped to the locker room.
Before the game, coach Mike Brown said he’s excited about the “nice punch” McBride would provide.
Deuce McBride first game back from hernia surgery heads to locker room holding similar area after hitting floor with Lu Dort pic.twitter.com/P3HpiRj0nR
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 30, 2026
“Deuce was one of our best on-ball defenders, especially when it comes to the pick-and-roll. He’s quick and he’s strong, gets over screens well. He’ll get into the ball,” Brown said. “Obviously, he shoots the ball from range at a high level. He can go get his shot, too. And then he’s versatile in terms of playing on the ball, off the ball. He gives us a nice punch.”
Brown also said McBride was operating under a minutes restriction in OKC, where the backup guard went scoreless on three shots in 11 minutes.
The other injured Knick, Landry Shamet, missed his fourth straight game but traveled with the team on its road trip, which stops at Houston and Memphis after OKC.
Brown explained why he hasn’t changed his starting lineup despite tinkering with other parts of the rotation.
“[The starting lineup] is more important than when you’re talking about who might be the ninth man tonight, or who might be the eighth man. So trying to have some form of consistency, given an opportunity, is the big thing,” the coach said. “I’ll keep playing with the eighth, ninth guys or any lineup changes that I need along the way if I think I need to. I haven’t felt that way strongly, so I’ll continue until I feel otherwise. But it definitely is more important to try to keep that starting group together.”
