At night, the Knicks got a triple double from two players for the first time in franchise history. The game ball went to the rookie with two points in 3 minutes.
It was a long and hard road for Kevin McCulla Jr. He was on the sidelines for about a year with a knee injury before making his NBA debut in a 128-113 128-113 victory with the Mavericks on Tuesday.
The 56th overall pick in last year's draft was handed the game ball by Josh Hart, who broke Clyde Frazier's record with most Knick Striple Doubles in the season, but there was a good reason to hand the lock over to McCulla.
“For me, it's an easy decision,” Hart said. “That record is cool and blessing, but at the end of the day, the record breaks at some point. If possible, it's rather broken later. But it breaks. You can't earn your first NBA points. No one can take it from you.
McCulla, a 24-year-old Kansas wing, was grateful for Ball and the moment.
“It was rough, but I had my head straight. Everyone has been supporting me here and I'm happy to be playing right now,” McCulla said.
McCullar was added late to Tuesday's active list. This was when I first broke the NBA roster.
Mitchell Robinson remains restricted from playing in both consecutive games and will leave center as DNP against the Mavericks on Tuesday.
Officially, Robinson, who sat 10 months after ankle surgery, was featured in an injury report for injury management.
What's expected is he'll face the Clippers on Wednesday night.
It was the third time Robinson missed one game on a consecutive set.
With four more schedules, Tom Thibodeau provided little about whether restrictions would be lifted.
“We see him keeping an eye on how he is going,” Thibodeau said. “There are certain guidelines we're trying to follow and we'll go from there, so we'll see what happens.”
Robinson has also been operating with a steadily relaxed time limit since his return.
Miles McBride missed his second straight game with a gro caliber contempt wounded in Wednesday's defeat to the Spurs.
Despite this, McBride played 36 minutes for Charlotte the next day.
The injury was then so severe that it kept him away from consecutive games.
Thibodeau deviated when asked how it happened.
“Every day,” the coach said. “Look at how he reacts.”
