Julius Randle’s consistency paid off for Knicks this week
By John Azzato
What a week for the New York Knicks. They had quite the slate of games from Mar. 4 to Mar. 10, playing four contests on the road against Western Conference opponents. Their first game could only be described using one word – heartbreaking.
How did the New York Knicks fare from March 4 to March 10?
The Knicks had a Friday night matchup against the best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. Mitchell Robinson had a dominant game, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds. He made all eight of his field-goal attempts and was an anchor defensively swatting three shots and securing four steals.
With over 11 minutes left to play in the fourth quarter, New York held a 95-81 lead. However, it would slowly wither to a one-point lead with seven seconds remaining.
Alec Burks was at the free-throw line with an opportunity to give the Knicks a three-point lead. He made the first and missed the second. Then, Cam Johnson hit a long three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to sink the Knicks, 115-114.
With 38 points on the night, the 2019 lottery selection completed the storybook ending to his already outstanding performance against New York.
However, the rest of the week would be what Knicks fans had been hoping and waiting for.
Following the loss against the Suns, New York had a Sunday matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a close game throughout the first quarter, but the Knicks were able to outscore Los Angeles, 34-18, in the second quarter and take a 59-40 lead going into the half.
Behind some strong play from RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Cam Reddish, New York hung on and secured a 116-93 victory in Crypto.com Arena.
The Knicks would continue their road trip with a game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Randle set a new career-high in points with 46, leading the Knicks in a twenty-point comeback to seal a 131-115 win.
However, Randle was not the only player to fill up the stat sheet. Barrett and Quickley combined for 56 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. With numbers like that, it’s not hard to see how New York was able to win that one.
This gave the Knicks a two-game winning streak heading into the game against the Mavericks on Wednesday. In Dallas, New York was able to secure a 107-77 win behind six double-digit scorers.
Not only did the Knicks have offensive contributions from multiple players, but the team also held Dallas to just 34 points in the first half. Other than Luka Doncic, who had 31 points on twenty-five field goal attempts, the Mavericks’ only other double-digit scorer was Spencer Dinwiddie, who provided 13 points off the bench.
Overall, it was a dominant week by the Knicks, leaving us plenty of options for the Daily Knicks Player of the Week.