OKLAHOMA CITY — New York Knicks guard Miles McBride returned Sunday for the first time since undergoing hernia surgery in February, playing 11 minutes in a 111-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder before exiting with another apparent injury.
McBride collided with Thunder guard Lu Dort while diving for a loose ball late in the third quarter and appeared to be in pain on the ground. He headed to the locker room and did not return to the game. Knicks coach Mike Brown said before the game that McBride would be on a minutes limit.
McBride started 14 games, mostly due to injuries with the starting lineup, in 35 appearances this season. He’s shot a career-high 42 percent from 3-point range on nearly seven attempts a night and is averaging 12.9 points, also a career high. Before the hernia surgery, McBride suffered a high ankle sprain in December and missed three weeks. When he returned he played some of his best basketball even while the Knicks struggled through inconsistency.
In the 28 games he’s missed, the Knicks have gone 20-8, including winning seven in a row before the streak was snapped in Charlotte on Friday night. The Knicks’ bench production has been spotty but assuming health, McBride will provide a boost with on-ball defense and 3-point shooting.
The Knicks entered Sunday ninth in 3-point makes and fourth in 3-point percentage.
