CLEVELAND — Immanuel Quickley saved his best for when the Knicks needed it the most: When starters Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes were out and Jalen Brunson was off his game.
The super sub busted out of his offensive funk just in time Wednesday night, producing a personal series-high 19 points in the Knicks’ 106-95 Game 5 win over the Cavaliers that sent them into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
“It felt great, man,” he said. “I was out there having a lot of fun.”
Quickley hit three 3-pointers and made all six of his free throws, to go along with his typical stout perimeter defense. He scored seven points in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks kept Cleveland at arm’s length and completed a gentleman’s sweep.
“It says a lot we can win this round, especially 4-1 against a good team like the Cavs,” Quickley said.
Before Wednesday, Quickley had struggled on offense, although that didn’t mean he wasn’t a critical part of the Knicks’ success. He was the team leader in net rating (plus-22) and defensive rating (80.8) over the first four games of the first-round series, meaning coach Tom Thibodeau’s team had outscored the Cavaliers by 22 points and had allowed just 80.8 points per 100 possessions with Quickley on the floor.
“I always say that, if you’re not making shots, you still can play well. He’s demonstrated that,” Thibodeau said before the clincher at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “And I don’t worry about him offensively. He’s gonna shoot the ball, and he will make [shots]. So just get out there and help the team any way you can. And that’s [why he’s] a big plus for us.”
Obviously, the Knicks would have liked Quickley to be more productive on offense. In 22.3 minutes per game heading into Game 5, he was averaging just 6.5 points on 34.8 percent shooting, and had scored in double figures just once.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series
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- Knicks battle but fall in season-ending Game 6 loss to Heat
- Knicks couldn’t survive two minutes without Brunson
- Brunson’s heroic night spoiled by late turnover
That came after Quickley set career-highs this season in scoring (14.9), rebounding (4.2) and field goal percentage (44.8). He finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, losing out to Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.
The offensive issues, though, had not gotten into Quickley’s head enough to let them impact him on defense. He was a major asset for the Knicks in defending the perimeter, and helped to limit the production of Cavaliers stars Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
And in Game 5, he found his offense, a promising sign as the Knicks look to keep this postseason run going.