Knicks take step in right direction to .500 behind Julius Randle, RJ Barrett
Following back-to-back wins against the Cavaliers and Hawks, the Knicks notched their third win in a row on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets. While the Hornets came close to making a comeback, they were no match for the Knicks who won 121-102
This was a very good game for both RJ Barrett and Julius Randle as they dropped 25+ points and led the Knicks’ offense with style. Barrett and Randle were far from perfect in this game, but they got the job done in a blowout win.
With the Knicks back at .500, the team needs to continue their success if they want to prove that they can compete with the best teams in the league. The Knicks will face the red hot Kings on Sunday and this game will be a good test for New York, who are desperate to finally get over the .500 mark.
RJ Barrett and Julius Randle lead Knicks past Hornets in 121-102 win
As I mentioned before, both Barrett and Randle played rather well in this game. Barrett dropped 26 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the arc. Barrett made some nice plays with the ball in his hands this game, including a couple of lobs to both Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims.
Barrett’s playmaking is something we have seen flashes of since he joined the league, so it was nice to see him put it all together this game. Hopefully, as the season goes on he can continue to progress in that area and will become a better all-around player.
As for Randle, he was not the most efficient, but from what we have seen out of him this season and in years past, I’ll take it. In 36 minutes of play, Randle scored 33 points, seven rebounds, and two assists while shooting 9-of-21 from the field, 4-of-10 from three, and 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
The Knicks have needed Randle to be more consistent this season. Considering the monster game he had against the Hawks, we can only hope Randle continues to play at this high of a level.
As for the rest of New York, there were not many standout performances. What impressed me the most was that the team, which has struggled in this area all season, shot 38.2% from three.
It was nice to see the bench perform as well as they did. Tom Thibodeau’s new nine-man rotation has worked rather well despite cutting out Cam Reddish. In this game, Isaiah Hartenstein dropped 11 points and eight rebounds in a solid two-way performance. Quickley scored a solid 11 points and four assists despite shooting 4-of-11 from the field and Miles McBride showed some potential on both sides of the ball that fans loved to see.
New York’s bench has been very up and down this season, so it was great to see them all come together in the team’s blowout victory. Hopefully, we see the Knicks keep it up as they enter a relatively calm stretch of games that they need to win.
