Backup guard Cameron Payne had his second-highest scoring output of the season for the Knicks on Sunday, pouring in 18 points in 14 minutes during the team’s romp past Milwaukee.
“He’s someone who’s very capable of scoring the ball at a high level,” forward Josh Hart told Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “Obviously, playing behind (Jalen Brunson), sometimes he doesn’t get those opportunities. But we know what he’s capable of, and that’s just gonna continue to fuel his confidence and our confidence in him.”
Payne is playing on a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks are near the second apron, so there are limitations with what they could do on the trade market. The Athletic’s James Edwards suggests a number of lower-level acquisitions they could consider, including Simone Fontecchio, Nick Richards and Alec Burks.
- The Raptors have lost three times to the much-improved Pistons and they can take valuable lessons away from Detroit’s rebuilding efforts, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. It’s taken the Pistons several years to show real progress and Toronto could go through the same process unless it lands a superstar talent via the lottery. “They’ve built it up and, guys have a little more experience, and they bring in a couple more vets who play with those younger guys,” Kelly Olynyk said of the Pistons. “And, you know, you start to build that culture back up, and that those habits up. I mean, it takes what is that, three years, four years before you’re able to really kind of put plan together and put something together on the floor, so … it’s not going to happen overnight. We got to be a little bit patient, but it’ll come together and start to break.”
- The Sixers have dropped five of their last seven games. Paul George says they can’t wait any longer to turn things around, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays. “It’s not panic mode, but there’s sort of a desperation that we need to start to play with,” George said. “And look at every game like it matters. From this point forward, every game matters. I think we do have to approach it in that manner, because it’s not going to get any easier.”