The Knicks won a game against a strong and hot team, and Julius Randle won back some fans.
It was a near-perfect Garden night, as the Knicks started the second half of their 82-game schedule with a 108-85 rout to the Mavericks without Kristaps Porzingis. Dallas’ five-game winning streak was interrupted and the Knicks returned to the 0.500 mark at 21-21 for the first time since Dec. 7.
“I don’t watch it – I watch it like we play good basketball,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. “I hope we are not happy with this. There is a long way to go, and we have to keep fighting. ”
Two days after a shy two-point clunker when he was harassed by the home crowd, Randle looked more like himself as he roared towards the basket and finished with 17 points in 35 minutes.
It was hardly perfect, as Randle shot 6 of 17 from the field – 1 of 3 from 3-point field – and caught 10 rebounds with eight assists.
RJ Barrett was the biggest star, adding 32 points for a second straight game – the youngest player in Knicks history to climb 30 straight spots. Barrett was 13 of 22 on the field – 4 of 7 beyond the arc.
But better yet, the Knicks’ five starters hit double digits – something they haven’t done since opening night.
“I thought our starters were fantastic,” said Thibodeau. “It may be the best game of the year for our starters. They played really hard and played well. Just their aggressiveness in attacking the basket, going down, moving the ball and making the extra pass. ”
The starting unit had been an eyesore for much of the early part of the season.
“It was our best win in a while,” said Evan Fournier. “We had a goal and it was really fun to play. “
Randle was not available for comment after the game. Thibodeau said he spoke to Randle about the fan controversy, but admitted he didn’t really need to.
“You constantly talk to Julius and you talk to the team every day,” Thibodeau said. “But Julius is a pro. He’s been through the ups and downs of this league for a long time. So he knows where he stands in the league and he knows what to do. ”
Barrett punctuated another big night with a two-handed reverse dunk in the fourth quarter that followed his windmill dunk from the previous game.
Randle, who gave a thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans last Thursday, was just business and didn’t recognize the cheering crowd on Wednesday. Fans chanted Barrett’s name on several occasions.
“He sure was aggressive,” Barrett said of Randle. “He’s such a tall guy you want to get him down in the paint.” It was great to see him there.
Starters Evan Fournier (13 points), Alec Burks (10 points), Mitchell Robinson (19 points, 9 of 10 from the field, nine rebounds) were all in double digits. Four of the five were in double digits at intermission.
“Five guys in double digits is a great way to win,” Barrett said.
Long missing on his first attempt – a 3-point pointer – Randle then went for it. He’s scored on three straight possessions – two powerful workouts and a 3-point pointer.
Although he heard scattered boos during pre-match intros, he was only cheered when the shots dropped and he played in a normal aggressive manner, instead of dropping the ball to a teammate in the perimeter as he did Monday against San Antonio.
But Barrett was the real star and looked unstoppable for over a week, with his forays into the basket and improved jumper.
“When he scores at all three levels he’s less predictable,” Fournier said. “He thinks less. He sure looks like he’s not thinking at all and is letting his game do the talking. ”
Porzingis, the former Knicks lottery pick whose trade ultimately led to Randle’s signing, missed the game with COVID-19. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was also out due to protocols, and the Mavs were led by assistant Sean Sweeney.
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