New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks were already making plans for a trip to Las Vegas after learning they had advanced to the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Their destination is actually Milwaukee, where they would need a victory over the Bucks to reach the Final Four in Vegas.
Even the players are still learning how the NBA’s new event works.
Julius Randle had 25 points and 20 rebounds, RJ Barrett scored 16 points and the Knicks advanced to the knockout stage with a 115-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night.
“We all thought we were going to Vegas, I cannot lie,” reserve guard Immanuel Quickley said. “When we first won, we all were saying we were going to Vegas like we were going to Disney World when you go to the Super Bowl.”
The Knicks missed their chance to win Group B when the Bucks beat the Miami Heat to finish unbeaten in pool play. But the Knicks took the wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference by tiebreaker because of their point differential in the preliminary round.
New York will visit the East’s No. 1 seed next Tuesday.
The Knicks and Bucks were already scheduled to meet four times this season. An extra game is now on the calendar against an NBA Finals favorite with the chance to really go to Las Vegas.
“If they tell us we got to play this team five times, we play them five times and be ready,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Whatever the schedule says, that’s what you have. Sometimes it’s in your favor, sometimes it’s not. Just be ready to play.”
Quickley scored 23 points and Josh Hart chipped in 17 as the New York bench outscored Charlotte’s 50-35.
Hart was not too fond of the idea that in order to advance out of group play the Knicks had to run up the score on…
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