Knicks' Immanuel Quickley picks up right where he left off in preseason opening win over Celtics
Immanuel Quickley started his fourth NBA season playing the same way he did for much of last year.
He scored 21 points in 22 minutes during the Knicks’ 114-107 win over the Boston Celtics in Monday night's preseason opener.
Quickley made six of his final eight attempts from the field after a slow start, which he attributed partly to being back at MSG.
“It’s been a year since we’ve been in the building,” Quickley said after the game. “The Garden – no matter preseason, regular season – it always kind of got that energy, feel, buzz about it. So just relax a little bit.”
Quickley looked right at home in the third quarter, when he scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting and added two steals.
Watching from the bench, Julius Randle liked what he saw from his young teammate on Monday.
“Quick just continues to grow as a player. Just his understanding of the game, picking and choosing his spots, running the team,” Randle said. “He brings a lot of effort and energy and versatility on the defensive end. Causes a lot of havoc. Every year, you just see his continued growth. He’s a worker, so that’s what I expect from him.”
Monday was the first time Quickley and new Knick Donte DiVincenzo shared the floor. Like the rest of the reserves, DiVincenzo seemed to find his footing later in the game after an uneven start.
The 26-year-old had eight points and two assists in the third quarter, with both him and Quickley hitting a pair of three-point attempts in the frame.
“It’s always fun to share the court with a talented young guard,” DiVincenzo said of Quickley. “He makes it easier when he can go get a bucket but he can also run the offense.”
Quickley got off to a good start on Monday once he found his footing.
“Probably gotta be better on defense. But it was good to just be back, back at the Garden,” he said.
