PHOENIX — Call him the sleepless Knicks starting point guard.
Elfrid Payton became a new father Thursday but didn’t want to miss a game because of the milestone.
With his girlfriend giving birth to a baby girl at 9 a.m. on Friday, Payton, who missed the team flight to Phoenix on Thursday, flew out Friday afternoon in time for the game.
The Knicks had called Payton’s absence “personal reasons’’ as the former Louisiana-Lafayette point guard wanted to keep it quiet.
He showed up at the Talking Stick Resort Arena 80 minutes before tip-off and having missed the morning shootaround.