Tom Thibodeau said Saturday night that he’d obviously “prefer not to” continue playing without injured starters Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett, but the Knicks head coach believes their absence will benefit the team’s young players in the long run. 

With that duo sidelined, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride and Quentin Grimes logged extensive minutes throughout the Knicks’ 1-2 swing through the Texas triangle. 

“That’s the way you have to look at it, absolutely,” Thibodeau said after Saturday’s win in Houston. “You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, obviously, but anytime someone does get hurt, it’s an opportunity for someone to step in and grow and learn. 

“Playing time is important. And that’s why you need a team. We always say next man be ready. You don’t know when your opportunity comes and you have a responsibility to be ready for your team. Credit to those guys for doing that.” 

The Knicks (19-18) will face the Suns (20-17) in a Monday matinee at the Garden for the observed New Year’s holiday followed by a home rematch Wednesday night against the Spurs, who upended them Thursday in San Antonio. 

Brunson, who sat out all three games in Texas, once again has been listed as questionable with a sore right hip. Barrett will miss his third straight game after suffering a lacerated finger in an overtime loss in the road-trip opener Tuesday in Dallas. 

“[Brunson is] getting better,” Thibodeau said. “To me, with those type of injuries, he does more and more each day. You talk to Jalen and you talk to the medical and when it’s time it’s time… We don’t want anyone out there injured. [If] you can’t go, we’ve got more than enough on the bench.” 

Evan Fournier totaled 19 points in 37 minutes in the past two games, in his first action in more than six weeks. 

Grimes averaged 40.3 minutes over the three Texas games, while Quickley (44.7) and McBride (37.3) were on the court far more than usual with Brunson and Barrett unavailable. 

“I think it’ll be super-beneficial for them down the stretch to play those minutes, play in those big spots,” said Julius Randle, who averaged 35.0 points and 13.7 rebounds in the three games. … “It’ll be great for them,” 

Brunson had stabilized the Knicks’ point guard position by not missing a game this season before sitting out the trip, but Quickley and McBride mostly were on the ball in the three games, with Derrick Rose also returning to the rotation for 13 minutes per game off the bench. 

While Quickley shot only 35.6 percent (26-for-73) from the field in the three games, he averaged 25.3 points and 9.7 assists in an extended opportunity to run the offense, including career bests of 15 assists in Dallas and 36 points in San Antonio. 

“Great, to me it’s when you impact winning, then it becomes important,” Thibodeau said after Quickley netted 27 points in the win in Houston. “He scored, he pushed the pace, he got into the paint, attacked the zone really well. 

“So it wasn’t what he did for himself, it’s what he did for the team that impacted the game in the way that he did that was so valuable for us. I thought his all-around play was very good.” 

Grimes posted a career-best 33 points in the Dallas loss and he rebounded from a poor shooting night (1-for-10) against the Spurs with 19 points in his Houston homecoming. McBride missed 24 of 32 field-goal attempts overall on the trip, but Thibodeau likes the defensive intensity the two second-year guards bring to the rotation. 

“Grimes was terrific. And I thought even though Deuce didn’t shoot the ball well, I thought he played a really good game, too,” Thibodeau said. “I thought the defense of Deuce and Quentin was outstanding. And so everyone has a role. For those guys they can impact the game greatly with their defense and they usually do.”