Sunday night's game between the Knicks and Raptors was Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett's first trip to Madison Square Garden this season.
Quickley and Barrett are both former Knicks draft picks who were traded to Toronto in the deal that saw OG Anunoby transition to New York. Barrett did not play Sunday night due to injury, but Quickley had a nice showing, with 19 points and eight assists in 35 minutes.
But Jalen Brunson and the Knicks got the better of the Raptors, winning 116-94. Quickley was Brunson's backup point guard for one and a half seasons until the Knicks' trade for Anunoby.
Brunson had high praise for Quickley
Brunson and Quickley are former teammates who know each other's game and personality very well.
Quickley served as the Knicks' first man off the bench, but he's getting a chance to start with the Raptors. Brunson thinks it's a perfect fit for him.
"No," Brunson said, after a reporter asked him if he was surprised by the way Quickley's game has developed. "The way he's worked on his game since I was his teammate, and even before then. Nothing is surprising. What he's been able to do up there has been great," Brunson added.
Brunson feels the former University of Kentucky product is a standout for the Raptors, and there's no love lost between the two.
"This is the opportunity he was looking for, and he's showing out. I have nothing but respect for him - that's my guy," Brunson said. "We go out there, we compete, but I'm always rooting for him."
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