NBA

Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley misses pivotal Game 4 loss with ankle injury

MIAMI — Immanuel Quickley wore a walking boot as he limped toward the Knicks’ locker room early Monday evening, and his status for Game 4 unsurprisingly was made official a few minutes later.

In the latest ankle injury to affect the second-round series between the Knicks and the Heat, Quickley didn’t play in the Knicks’ Game 4 loss to the Heat with a sprained left ankle.

The Sixth Man of the Year finalist had appeared in 81 of 82 regular-season games and the first eight games of the postseason.

Quickley suffered the injury when he got tangled up with Heat center Bam Adebayo while both were going for a loose ball during the fourth quarter of Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.

Quickley remained down on the court for several minutes before hobbling to the locker room.

Immanuel Quickley will miss Game 4 for the Knicks
Immanuel Quickley missed Game 4 for the Knicks. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

He said after the game that the injury “hurt a lot.”

The 23-year-old Quickley has struggled to match his regular-season impact during the playoffs, averaging 9.0 points per game and shooting just 24.3 percent (9-for-37) in eight games off the bench against the Cavaliers and the Heat.


Julius Randle on fouling out, along with Josh Hart, in the fourth quarter: “Yeah that was tough. As far as officiating, that was one of the toughest games I’ve been a part of. Usually the physicality in the playoffs is up. I had six fouls and maybe four of them were offensive fouls. … That’s never happened in my career. That’s tough.”


Second-year guard Miles McBride replaced Quickley in the rotation but he was scoreless in four minutes as Jalen Brunson’s backup in Game 4.

McBride had played 13 minutes over four prior playoff appearances this spring.


Follow The Post’s coverage of the Knicks vs. Heat NBA playoff series


“Honestly, just want to come in and do what I can, show energy, show aggressive out there, play with 100 percent energy,” McBride told The Post before the game. “Overall, the game just needs another level of intensity. That’s what we’ve been harping on.”

The other options would have been little-used veterans Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose.

Fournier had not appeared in any game of this year’s postseason entering Monday’s contest, while Rose played three minutes at the end of Game 3 in the first round against the Cavaliers.

Before that brief stint, the former league MVP had played only two minutes since Dec. 31.


Obi Toppin also did not play after halftime after scoring four points in five minutes of action in the first half.

Fast Break

Hero

Playoff Jimmy did it to the Knicks again. Listed as questionable with a sprained ankle, Jimmy Butler poured in 27 points on 9 of 17 shooting, added 11 assists, two steals and two blocks, carrying the Heat to a 3-1 series lead.

Zero

Mitchell Robinson’s nightmarish series continued. The 7-footer, one of the heroes of the Knicks’ opening-round series win over the Cavaliers, was again a nonfactor and soundly outplayed by counterpart Bam Adebayo (23 points, 13 rebounds). Robinson was limited to six points and seven rebounds in 33 mostly ineffective minutes as the Knicks were beaten on the glass for the second straight game and were defenseless in the paint.

Unsung Hero

Overlooked at the start of the series, Kyle Lowry again tormented the Knicks off the bench as the Heat’s second unit was by far better. Lowry notched 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, as the Miami reserves outscored the Knicks’ bench, 32-10.

Key Stat

13: Heat offensive rebounds, equaling the most the Knicks have allowed this postseason. The previous high was also set by the Heat in Game 3.

Quote of the Night

“Maybe they want it more. I don’t know. That’s been who we are all year.”

— Julius Randle on the Knicks getting beat to loose balls.

— Zach Braziller