CHICAGO — It was nearly three full quarters without a shot, an extended stretch in which the ball rarely found its way into Quentin Grimes’ hands.
He missed a 3-pointer with 1:57 left in the first quarter and didn’t let another shot fly until 4:18 remained in the fourth quarter. But that didn’t deter him in crunch time of the Knicks’ 128-120 overtime victory over the Bulls on Wednesday from hitting three massive 3-pointers, two in the final 4:18 regulation and another in the extra session that extended the Knicks’ lead to six with 1:04 to go.
“I don’t think it’s hard at all. It’s kind of what I would go through last year. You’ve got to be ready,” Grimes said following the Knicks’ fifth straight win. “It’s your role. Got to be able to go out there and make these tough shots. You’ve got to be ready at all times. That’s my mindset coming in — be ready whenever I get it.”
It was yet another impressive performance from the second-year guard, who scored 14 points, added five rebounds and notched a team-high plus-14 rating while guarding the Bulls’ two star wings, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. After missing virtually all of training camp and much of the first month of the regular season due to a left foot injury, Grimes has begun to find his shot. He’s hit 18 of 45 3-point attempts (40 percent) in his last 10 games. Most importantly, he is starting to hit those long jumpers in big spots.
Quentin Grimes shoots during the Knicks’ win over the Bulls. Getty Images“That’s just what he does,” Julius Randle said. “He’s ready to step up when he’s called on.”
Over the first three quarters, the Knicks had all kinds of trouble with Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, allowing him to pile up 19 points and four assists. But in the fourth quarter and overtime, they held him scoreless. In the extra session, Mitchell Robinson blocked a Vucevic shot in the paint, which led to that clutch Grimes 3-pointer, which was the turning point of overtime.
“He kept getting under my arm and I had to really sit down and beat him to the spot,” Robinson recalled after the win. “So that was really the main adjustment, just beat him to the spot. Just learning his moves.”
He added: “So now I done learned. It’s over with.”
The two big men will go at it again Friday night.
The Knicks won’t have to deal with Stephen Curry when the Warriors visit the Garden on Tuesday. Curry is expected to be out for a few weeks with a left shoulder injury, ESPN reported. The superstar guard led the Warriors to a 111-101 win over the Knicks in the Bay Area on Nov. 18 with 24 points and 10 assists.
