Is Immanuel Quickley playing tonight? Latest injury update for Knicks vs. Heat Game 5

Immanuel Quickley, Sixth Man of the Year finalist, is nursing a sprained ankle. Will he be able to go for the Knicks as they face elimination in Game 5?

Immanuel Quickley made himself an indispensable piece for the Knicks this season, appearing in 81 games and anchoring the offense off the bench, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.0 percent beyond the arc.

However, the Knicks were without him for their Game 4 loss to the Heat after he suffered a sprained ankle late in Game 3. The Knicks sorely missed him, getting just 10 points and a single assist from their bench that game. With elimination looming, his status for Game 5 is of supreme importance to the Knicks.

Will Immanuel Quickley be available for Game 5?

Quickley is listed as doubtful on the NBA’s official injury report. Miles McBride saw a handful of minutes on Game 4 but, for the most part, the Knicks simply covered for Quickley’s absence with increased minutes for the starters — Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett. That’s likely to be the case in Game 5 as well, with the stakes so high and a loss sending them home.

That doesn’t mean the supporting cast, and the bench, won’t have a huge role to play in this one. After helping shut down Donovan Mitchell in the first round, Josh Hart has really struggled to have the same kind of defensive impact with Jimmy Butler. Quentin Grimes has fared a little better but neither player has done enough at that end and they’ve combined to shoot 9-of-32 (28 percent) from beyond the arc against Miami.

The Knicks are going to need huge games from Brunson and Julius Randle to stay alive, but if Grimes, Hart and Obi Toppin can give them some positive two-way contributions off the bench, it would really help.

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