Knicks win, Randle and Barrett now among the league’s elite duos

The New York Knicks can head into the All-Star break with their heads held high. The team defeated the Pistons on Thursday night and will head into the break a game over .500, good enough for 5th place in the Eastern Conference.

The team bounced back after a disappointing loss in San Antonio. The Pistons were without their best player Jerami Grant, and the Knicks took full advantage of an inferior Pistons team. There were some standout performances from Nerlens Noel and Elfrid Payton who made his return to the lineup after missing 4 games with an injury.

It was a “Get-right before the break” game for the Knicks. While there will multiple strong performances, but the Knicks duo of RJ Barrett and Julius Randle once again led the way.

Knicks: Randle and Barrett continue to dominate

At this point, we’re used to ridiculous Julius Randle stat lines: He finished this game with 27 points, 16 assists, and 7 rebounds. He was the focal point of the offense all night long, got his teammates involved, and hit tough shots when the team needed them.

The Knicks’ young slasher RJ Barrett put up one of his best shooting performances of the season. Barrett finished the game with 21 points on 9 of 13 from the field. He also added 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Lately, Barrett has started to look a lot more like Julius Randle in that he’s starting to figure out his favorite spots on the floor. He’s letting the game come to him, and he looks much more assertive on the court. Both Randle and Barrett made some key plays late in the game.

The game felt like it didn’t need to be as close it was, but the team hung on. A pivotal play came with around 3 minutes left in the game – The Pistons were coming alarmingly close, and Mason Plumlee had an open layup that would have cut the lead to 8… Until Julius Randle came out of nowhere to block it, and it quickly led to an RJ Barrett dunk. It was a 4 point swing that all but cemented the win.

As I touched on earlier, Barrett is starting to find his game on a nightly basis. Over his last 10 games Barrett is shooting 50% from the field and 57% from 3. He’s embracing his role as the secondary leader alongside Julius Randle.

Randle and Barrett both do a little bit of everything. They attack the rim, hit open shots, and most importantly: They make sure the whole team is getting involved. They play winning basketball.

Randle recently talked about how he’s enjoyed teaching the younger Knicks everything he’s learned in the NBA. How to handle the grind of a full season – The work that it takes to build not just a winner, but a winner in New York.

Randle an All-Star, Barrett a Rising Star – The Knicks have a dynamic duo that could be dominating the league for years to come.