ORLANDO, Fla. — Jericho Sims will have a chance to be the second consecutive Knick to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
One year after Obi Toppin took home the title at the 2022 All-Star Weekend, Sims has committed to participate in the event later this month, according to The Athletic.
The second-year big man had expressed interest last month in being included in the field Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City. He will replace Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe, who withdrew earlier Tuesday.
Toppin’s victory one year ago — in his second try in as many NBA seasons — marked the fifth time a Knicks player had won the Slam Dunk title, joining Kenny Walker in 1989 and three-time winner Nate Robinson in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
RJ Barrett still was not at full strength in his return to the Knicks’ lineup after he missed one game with a non-COVID illness.
But following a slow start in which he missed his first four shots and had just two points in the first half, Barrett scored 13 after halftime — including two key 3-pointers — to help the Knicks to a 102-98 win over the Magic.
“The first half I was still a little woozy, but I worked my way through it and I was able to find it in the second half,” said Barrett, who had been a late scratch Sunday against the 76ers. “For sure, it’s not the easiest to play when you’re not feeling your best.
“But I tried to do whatever I could and I was able to find the energy in the second half.”
Derrick Rose hasn’t played in a game for the Knicks since the calendar flipped to 2023, with his last appearance coming on New Year’s Eve in Houston.
With the trade deadline looming on Thursday, coach Tom Thibodeau was asked if he’d like to see the 34-year-old former league MVP remain in his mentoring role for the team’s young players or be given a chance for playing time elsewhere.
“He’s been great. In whatever role you ask Derrick to play, he embraces it. He’s always been a team-first guy. So I know he’s always ready,” Thibodeau said. “He contributes in a lot of different ways to our club.
“As far as the trade stuff, there’s a million trades that get talked about and very rarely does anything get done. So I always want him to be around.”
Barrett on the Magic’s Paolo Banchero, a fellow Duke product: “I was able to go to a game when [Duke] played in the Garden last year and I was able to meet him. … It’s cool to see how he’s been progressing and just the amazing year that he’s been having. He’s very talented. He’s helped them a lot. They’ve gotten a lot better this year, so they got a good one.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Banchero is averaging 20.2 points over 48 games as a rookie, including 16 Tuesday night.
As the three-week mark since Mitchell Robinson’s thumb surgery (Jan. 19) approaches this week, Thibodeau said the center “will be going for a checkup shortly and once we get that update will give it to you guys.”
