MILWAUKEE — Call it a Delon Wright revenge game. Sort of.
The Knicks are without Jalen Brunson (ankle), Miles McBride (groin) and Cam Payne (ankle), leaving rookie Tyler Kolek as the only healthy true point guard available.
But head coach Tom Thibodeau opted to start the veteran Wright, who only had played in garbage time since being acquired from the Bucks ahead of the deadline, instead of Kolek in the Knicks’ 116-107 win over Milwaukee on Friday night at Fiserv Forum.
Wright rewarded his coach’s decision, finishing with a season-high 12 points in 30 minutes of playing time, by far his biggest workload with the Knicks.
“Definitely [a good feeling],” Wright said. “I feel like every team that I leave, I always have a good game the first game back or the first time playing them. I just wanted to keep that streak going.”
Thibodeau clearly preferred Wright’s experience and defensive ability over Kolek’s distribution.
Kolek played 17 minutes and finished with five points and five assists.
“His defense you can always count on,” Thibodeau said of Wright. “That’s his strength, and he’s not afraid. He’s aggressive, and he knows how to play off people. I think he reads the game well. I think we got terrific point-guard play.
“I was going back and forth on [who to start], and I was comfortable with both. A lot of it was based on I wasn’t quite sure who they were gonna start. Their size was a factor in it. But I was comfortable. And then you read the game like, ‘What do you need? What do you need more of?’ Both guys are really good players, they have different strengths, so you can adjust as the game goes.”
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers had high praise for ex-Knicks center Jericho Sims.
Sims was an important contributor for the Bucks following his trade from the Knicks ahead of the deadline. The Knicks acquired Wright from Milwaukee as part of a three-team trade.
“He’s been fantastic for us,” Rivers said before the game. “Big, athletic guy, runs the floor. He was defending, rebounding. He won some games for us with his presence. Definitely a welcome addition. A surprise how good he is.”
Sims was averaging 15 minutes per game in 14 games played with the Bucks, recording 2.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game.
He served a useful role as a backup big man off the bench with Bobby Portis suspended, but he’s sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.
He’s expected to be back for the playoffs, though.
Payne missed Friday’s game after suffering a sprained ankle in the Knicks’ 126-113 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.
McBride missed his fourth straight game with a groin contusion.
