Hornets vs. Knicks Tuesday NBA injury report, odds: Surging Immanuel Quickley now favorite to win Sixth Man of Year

Things are going swimmingly for the New York Knicks right now as they enter Tuesday's home game vs. Charlotte on a season-high nine-game winning streak, and a key contributor to that success has been third-year guard Immanuel Quickley. He will take the floor tonight for the first time as the Caesars Sportsbook betting favorite to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. The Knicks figure to extend their streak to 10 in a row, as they are 10-point favorites against the Hornets.

Few gave the Knicks much of a chance Sunday in Boston without second-leading scorer Jalen Brunson, who sat out with a sore left foot. Quickley started in his spot and notched a career-high 38 points along with eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals and just one turnover in a whopping 55 of a possible 58 minutes in the 131-129 double-overtime upset of the Celtics. Quickley didn't rest at all during the second half or either overtime period – that's Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau for you.

"I was going to give him rest at the start of the fourth, but then he knocked down a couple of shots and I thought the game was in the balance right there," Thibodeau said.

The Knicks have been 7.9 points per 100 possessions better with Quickley on the floor (plus-6.2) than without him (minus-1.7). As recently as Feb. 20, Quickley was +15000 to win Sixth Man of the Year at Caesars before that number started dropping in a big way. It was +125 ahead of Sunday's game, and Quickley is npw the -170 favorite ahead of the Celtics' Malcolm Brogdon (-110). No one else is even in the picture.

Since Feb. 20, Quickley has brought in 28.7% of the tickets and 35.8% of the handle among all Sixth Man of the Year bets. Brogdon leads the way in both categories in that span with 31.1% of the tickets and 46.8% of the handle.

"With the Knicks on their win streak, you have people talking about why they've won nine in a row," said David Lieberman, lead NBA trader at Caesars Sportsbook. "Any time a team plays well, you look at the pieces for why they're playing well and seeing where they might fit for some of these awards. Brogdon was on the team with the best record, so he was leading the sixth man race because you'd think that would play a factor. Now you have Quickley who's on the hottest team in the league. … It's not super easy to gauge where these guys should be priced because it's such an interesting market—it's less analytical than other awards are and more about narratives. So we moved Quickley's price to where we thought we'd get some action but not too much because we already have some liability on him."

The Knicks have had three players win Sixth Man of the Year, most recently J.R. Smith in 2012-13. Quickley is averaging 18.0 points per game over his last 10 appearances. On the season, he's averaging 13.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.1 APG. While Quickley has started 11 games this season, and is averaging 19.4 PPG in those games, he's eligible for Sixth Man honors as long as he plays most of his games as a reserve -- and that's already locked in, as Quickley has come off the bench in 54 games.

Are the Knicks now legitimate Eastern Conference contenders? Over their past 18 games, they have beaten the Celtics three times, the Heat and Nets twice apiece and the 76ers and Cavaliers once each. New York is still only fifth in the East and is +950 to be forced to compete in the play-in tournament. It is +6000 to win the NBA title.

At Caesars, the Knicks have emerged as one of the most popular bets to capture the NBA title since after the All-Star Break. Since Feb. 23, only the Suns (14.0%) have received more tickets than the Knicks (12.9%) to win it all.

"I understand why people are betting them," Lieberman said. "The West has so many good teams in it, so the Knicks have an easier path in the East. The East just runs through two or three teams, so if you're going to bet a longshot, that's the place to do it. A lot of these bets are also in New York and New Jersey, which are likely Knicks fans who are hyped up about this season and finally having a good team."

Charlotte is in tank mode after recently losing star LaMelo Ball to a season-ending injury. The Hornets have lost three straight, each by at least 11 points. New York looks for the three-game season sweep. Quickley is averaging 11.0 PPG in the series. 

So which 2023 Fantasy baseball busts, breakouts, and sleepers should you target or fade in your drafts? Visit SportsLine's Fantasy baseball cheat sheets now to get rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Joey Votto's disappointing season, and find out.