MIAMI — Quentin Grimes found his footing — 48 minutes worth of footing — in the Knicks’ pivotal victory in Game 5 against the Heat.
Grimes rightly was praised for his defense in a workhorse effort during Wednesday’s elimination-avoiding win at the Garden, particularly a key strip of Jimmy Butler late in the fourth quarter.
But the second-year guard also has posted back-to-back games hitting multiple 3-pointers, draining 5 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc (38.5 percent) since rejoining Tom Thibodeau’s starting lineup in Game 4.
“I’m a rhythm player, definitely, so seeing the ball go through the hoop, it definitely is a good feeling,” Grimes said after Wednesday’s game. “Locking in definitely, getting rebounds, whatever you can to find a rhythm.”
The 23-year-old Grimes finally heating up from deep could help the Knicks better space their offense in a series in which the winning team in each of the first five games registered a better shooting percentage from 3-point range.
Miami’s ugly win in Game 3 mostly was a wash in that regard, with the victorious Heat shooting 7-for-32 (.219) from long range and the Knicks 8-for-40 (.200).
Grimes had missed 15 of 18 long-range tries in his first six career playoff games — three starts against the Cavaliers before suffering a shoulder injury and three games coming off the bench against the Heat before replacing Josh Hart in the starting lineup in Game 4 on Monday in Miami.
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Grimes only played 10 minutes in Game 1 due to the shoulder injury, making his 48-minute grind on Wednesday night all the more “unbelievable,” according to Jalen Brunson, who also was on the court for the entirety of Game 5.
“The things he brings to the game, a lot of it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes,” Brunson said after the game. “Nothing but respect for him and he needs to rest up so we can do it again.”
Even if he doesn’t shoulder the same workload on Friday night — 48 hours after logging a career-high 48 minutes played — the Knicks need Grimes to continue impacting the game at both ends.
His final stat line Wednesday included eight points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals, including the key pickpocketing of Butler with the Knicks leading by six and 1:36 to play.
Earlier in that possession, Grimes had twisted his knee after getting floored while running through a hard screen by Bam Adebayo.
“His defensive activity off the ball is very good,” Thibodeau said of Grimes, the 25th-overall draft pick in 2021 out of Houston. “He’s a terrific two-way player. And you need those hustle plays. He’s gonna give maximum effort on every play, and we need our whole team to do that.”