Tag Archives: julius randle

Sports

Jalen Brunson leads Knicks past Warriors for eighth straight win

Leave a comment

Tom Thibodeau was close with Jalen Brunson the person, having known him since he was a young child. He had only watched him from a distance as a player, first in high school, then college and later the NBA.

But almost immediately after Brunson agreed to join the Knicks, his new coach had a good idea of why Brunson was going to be so valuable as his new point guard.

“I’ll be honest with you, when we first signed him he started coming in immediately in the summer and I knew right then, just by what he was doing,” Thibodeau said. “Not by what he was saying. Not by anything other than the way he came in and the way he worked each and every day. I knew that was exactly what we needed.”

Through the season’s first 31 games — in good times and bad, when he’s at less than 100 percent, when games are on the line — it has become clear what the addition of Brunson has meant to the Knicks. After Brunson inked that four-year, $104 million deal to leave the Mavericks, there was a narrative that he was overpaid. So far, it has been the opposite.

Jalen Brunson drives to the basket during the Knicks’ 132-94 blowout win over the Warriors.
Robert Sabo

His brilliant first season as a Knick continued Tuesday, in the form of a 22-point, five-assist, no-turnover masterpiece that led the Knicks to a 132-94 blowout of the defending champion Warriors and extended their NBA-leading win streak to eight. For the first time in nine meetings at the Garden, the Knicks beat the Warriors. This time, they had the star point guard on their side, as Golden State was without Stephen Curry due to a left shoulder injury, and they treated the Warriors like a sparring partner, instead of the other way around.

Brunson set the tone — with his scoring in the first half and passing after the break. He had plenty of help, four teammates in double figures. Immanuel Quickley snapped out of a shooting slump to hit five 3-pointers and score 22 points, Quentin Grimes had 19 points as he continued his impressive play and RJ Barrett contributed 18 points and five assists. Julius Randle was again a force inside, notching 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Jordan Poole led the Warriors (15-17) with 26 points.

Immanuel Quickley, who scored 22 points, shoots a jumper during the Knicks’ blowout win.
Robert Sabo

After averaging over 27 points on the recent 3-0 road trip, Brunson picked up where he left off. He scored 16 points in the opening half on a variety of midrange jumpers, and went on a personal 9-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Knicks their largest lead of the first half at 57-43.

The ball moved well in the opening half, the Knicks racking up 15 assists on 24 made field goals and shooting a blistering 52.2 percent from the field. They hit 10 of their 19 3-point attempts, three apiece from Grimes and Quickley, and were dominant on the glass, owning a 22-14 edge. The lead was 13 at the break, and really could’ve been larger had the Warriors not shot so well from deep, making eight of 21 attempts.

Mitchell Robinson slams one home during the Knicks’ dominant victory.
Robert Sabo

There was a scare late in the first half that halted the positive vibes momentarily. Grimes landed on the foot of Warriors guard Ty Jerome, and appeared to turn his right ankle. Jerome was assessed a Flagrant 1. Grimes hit two free throws, came out of the game, but started the second half.

Brunson used the pass instead of the shot in the third quarter, stacking up four assists in the early portion of the period as the Knicks threatened to run the Warriors off the Garden floor. After hitting a jumper, Brunson set up a Grimes 3-pointer and Barrett layup on consecutive possessions, keying a 16-6 run that pushed the Knicks lead to a then game-high 21. It nearly doubled from there, ending in a 38-point win.

Read original article here

Sports

Jalen Brunson’s heroics lift Knicks to fifth straight win

Leave a comment

CHICAGO — Foot contusion? What foot contusion.

Jalen Brunson certainly didn’t look like someone limited by an injury Wednesday night. A game-time decision, Brunson wasn’t going to miss out on playing in front of family and friends so close to where he spent a large portion of his childhood.

After resorting to isolation ball with Julius Randle to close out regulation, the Knicks put the ball in Brunson’s hands in the extra session, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored seven of his 30 points in the final five minutes as the Knicks knocked off the Bulls, 128-120, at the United Center after blowing a five-point lead in the final 2:07 of regulation. The victory, the Knicks’ sixth road victory in eight tries, gave them a season-high five-game win streak and moved them to two games over .500 at 15-13 for the first time since late October.

Quentin Grimes hit arguably the game’s biggest shot, a 3-pointer that caromed off the front of the rim and fell in to give the Knicks a six-point edge with 1:04 to go. Brunson then hit another 3-pointer after leaving Alex Caruso on the floor with a crossover. He showed rare emotion, celebrating the big shot by shouting towards his high school coach, Pat Ambrose, and two close friends who were sitting under the basket.

“Pretty special,” was how Brunson described the evening.

Jalen Brunson didn’t appear to be bothered by a foot injury as he helped the Knicks roll on.
AP Photo

As recently as Monday, Brunson was in a walking boot after Davion Mitchell landed awkwardly on his right foot in the Knicks’ win over the Kings on Sunday. He didn’t finish that game and wasn’t able to practice on Tuesday. But against the Bulls, he logged 39 minutes and was at his best in overtime.

In hindsight, it seemed silly that there was even a question about his status.

“I don’t want to give anyone the notion that I’m healthy, but I just didn’t want to take today off,” said Brunson, who also had seven assists. “Me as a leader, if I’m able to walk and I’m able to play, I’ve got to bring it.”

As a group, the Knicks brought it in overtime, especially on the defensive end. They held the Bulls to just three points on 1 of 7 shooting after allowing them to shoot 58 percent over the first four quarters. It was similar to their previous four wins when the Knicks held three opponents under 100 points.

Julius Randle stayed red-hot as the Knicks’ win streak continued.
USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bulls’ Goran Dragic (7) passes the ball as New York Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein (55) Immanuel Quickley (5) and Jericho Sims defend.
AP Photo

“It was nice to see,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I’d prefer to see it earlier.”

Randle scored a team-high 31 points — his third 30-point effort in four games — to go along with 13 rebounds and seven assists, and RJ Barrett had 22 points before fouling out late in regulation. Grimes chipped in 14 points, five rebounds and a team-best plus-14 rating. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 for the Bulls (11-16), who had their three-game home winning streak snapped.

The Knicks led by as many as 14 points in the first half and were up five in the final two minutes. But they couldn’t finish off the Bulls in regulation as Randle air-balled a baseline fadeaway, leaving Chicago with 0.7 seconds left to win it. Randle, though, read the lob play well, and got in between Patrick Williams and the rim, forcing overtime.

“Sometimes you have to win games in different ways, and the bottom line is just find a way to win,” Thibodeau said.

The Knicks left no doubt from then on. Brunson made sure of that, bad right foot and all, producing his fourth 30-point game of the season.

“It says a lot about him. It’s everything,” Thibodeau said. “Coming in, [getting] multiple treatments every day. That becomes his game, it becomes his practice. He’s been through so many different things. He has a strategy for everything. He just gets out there and gets it done.”

Read original article here

Sports

Knicks’ Julius Randle thriving again because of these two factors

Leave a comment

This isn’t the Julius Randle of two years ago. It’s more like Julius Randle 2.0.

He may be producing similar numbers to that fantastic season when the bruising yet athletic forward led the Knicks to a surprising fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference, but he is doing so in a different manner.

“The year two years ago obviously he had a great year and a big part of that, I think, was his shooting,” coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday after practice. “It opened up a lot of things for him. But then I think the league sort of caught up and now I think he’s caught up to what they were doing.”

A major part of that change was a different offensive philosophy under Thibodeau predicated on pace and ball movement, and the arrival of new point guard Jalen Brunson. It meant less isolation for Randle and a new focus on playing uptempo.

Randle is rarely bringing the ball up and pounding it into the floor. Instead, he’s getting transition opportunities, shots by moving without the ball and Brunson’s fast start has taken some of the defense’s focus away from Randle. He’s seeing fewer double-teams and getting more open shots.

Julius Randle has thrived early in the Knicks’ season because he’s playing faster, plus has the presence of Jalen Brunson (inset).
Getty Images; N.Y. Post: New York Post

“His approach has been totally different,” Derrick Rose said. “The way he’s reading the floor is totally different. His passing has been unbelievable, like getting to spots and not forcing shots and understanding that we’re trying to get up a certain amount of 3’s. He’s finding the shooters.”

He’s also made notable adjustments, in particular arriving for training camp leaner and more prepared to get up and down the floor faster. At the start of camp, Randle spoke of his excitement for this new offensive philosophy and teaming up with Brunson, and he has backed up that talk, producing 17 assists and just four turnovers in the preseason. In three regular-season games, he is averaging 21.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and only 1.7 turnovers.

“I’ll say this: Julius is a tremendous athlete and I know from having coached against him what you don’t want to see is Julius flying up the floor, attacking the rim, playing with speed like he’s playing,” Thibodeau said. “You’d rather defend him stationary with the ball. I think because of that, [since] he knows the different things he’s been through, he wants to play fast, and so I think that’s huge. He can help sell it to the rest of the team when he’s moving the way he’s moving. It gets the whole team moving that way.”

Late in Monday’s victory over the Magic the biggest change for the Knicks was on display. A 14-point lead had been cut to six with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter. In past years, it was obvious where the ball was going — to Randle in isolation. Not in this instance. The Knicks ran a high screen-and-roll with Brunson, and it resulted in a made Brunson jumper in which he also drew a foul that iced the game. The Knicks have become less predictable.

Julius Randle celebrates after a dunk during the Knicks’ win over the Magic.
N.Y. Post: Noah K. Murray

“For [Jalen] to take that pressure off me is huge,” Randle said. He added, in general about his play: “I’m just trying to lose myself in the team. Lean on guys like [Brunson], RJ [Barrett], just play for my team. The only thing that matters is winning.”

Brunson, an ego-less lead guard known for making the right play, has had a major impact on Randle. The two started to develop chemistry even before training camp, both of them spending plenty of time in August and early September at the MSG Training Center. It shows. They have played well together, registering a combined plus-30 rating this season.

Brunson recently had Randle and other teammates over to watch a big Eagles-Cowboys game. Brunson roots for the Eagles and Randle is a Cowboys fan. A recent press conference featuring the two players ended with them being asked who will win the NFC East. They both laughed and talked trash about the other’s team.

The only thing the two stars don’t see eye-to-eye on appears to be their favorite football teams.

Read original article here

Sports

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Durant, Brogdon, Melton, Knicks

Leave a comment

The potential price tag for acquiring Kevin Durant isn’t what should matter most to the Raptors, argues Scott Stinson of The National Post, who says that determining whether Durant would actually be motivated and invested in playing for Toronto should be the most important factor for the team’s lead decision-makers.

As Stinson writes, Durant’s motivation in asking for a trade out of Brooklyn remains a bit nebulous, especially since he just signed a four-year extension last August. That should concern vice chairman and president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, because dealing for a superstar who might not be engaged or on the same page as the club could be disastrous, according to Stinson.

Drawing parallels between Ujiri’s trade for Kawhi Leonard in the 2018 offseason to the Durant sweepstakes now doesn’t make sense, per Stinson, because the situations aren’t similar.

Leonard was coming off an injury that caused him to miss almost the entire 2017/18 season, was on an expiring contract, and the Raptors teams led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had been given ample time to breakthrough in the East, but couldn’t get past LeBron James. The Raptors finished second in the East in the two years after Leonard left Toronto, so obviously the team remained competitive and didn’t mortgage its future to acquire him, Stinson writes.

Durant, on the other hand, has four years remaining on his deal, so obviously it will cost significantly more to land him, plus the current version of the Raptors is ascendant, with Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and Precious Achiuwa among the new additions who made significant contributions to a team that improved its win total from 27 to 48. Dealing away from an emerging core only for Durant to balk at the idea of staying could put Toronto in a hole that would be difficult to climb out of, says Stinson.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Could a lesser role on the Celtics benefit Malcolm Brogdon from a health perspective? “The knock against him coming out of college is that he had terrible knees,” a rival general manager told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “I mean, some of the examinations were really suspect in terms of how long his lower body would be able to take NBA pounding. So that’s why he ended up going in the second round, because he was damn near red-flagged. So the fact of the matter is he’s probably better off coming off the bench with limited minutes, trying to be impactful in 18 rather than trying to play 30 and always being injured. The question becomes how he’ll accept that.” Boston reportedly views Brogdon as a sixth man, and he said shortly after the deal was announced that he’s motivated to win a championship and is willing to sacrifice his individual stats for the betterment of the team.
  • De’Anthony Melton believes he’s a “great fit” for the Sixers, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscriber link). “Once I saw the team, I’m like, ‘OK, that’s a great spot,’” Melton told The Inquirer by phone last week. “That’s a great fit for me. … I understand what this team needs. I understand what this team is trying to do. I’m ready for the task at hand. I’m ready for whatever’s to come.” Melton was acquired from the Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 23 pick (David Roddy) and Danny Green in a draft-day swap.
  • Signing free agent guard Jalen Brunson was a solid move for the Knicks but they still look like a play-in team on paper, Ian O’Connor of The New York Post opines. According to O’Connor, while Brunson is a good player and the best point guard the Knicks will employ in years, neither he nor RJ Barrett or Julius Randle are capable of being the best — or second-best — players on a championship-caliber team, and unless something drastic changes, New York will begin 2022/23 as “just another barely relevant club.”

Read original article here

Sports

Julius Randle-Obi Toppin problem hangs over Knicks’ offseason

Leave a comment

Rate it as the most truthful remark Knicks president Leon Rose made about his vision during Sunday’s interview with MSG Network. 

Rose supported Julius Randle and his rough season, but later added, “With regard to opportunities that may come along, we’re very flexible.’’ 

The Knicks will be “very flexible” regarding Randle. His status ranks as the Knicks’ biggest offseason question — along with Rose’s ability to land a legitimate starting point guard in either a trade, draft or free agency. 

Obi Toppin’s late emergence as a scorer, 3-point shooter and energizer has opened the eyes of coach Tom Thibodeau, who went as far as comparing him to his all-time favorite player Taj Gibson in regards to the intangibles and the bounce he brings to his teammates. 

Trading Randle, if they can get equal value, would open up the starting spot for Toppin next season and perhaps create stronger team morale. 

Those things matter to Thibodeau. 

Obi Toppin, Julius Randle
AP, Charles Wenzelberg

In response to Rose’s remark about Randle “not being comfortable” this season, Thibodeau responded, “Well, I don’t know if comfortable, but I think the big thing is, let’s not mistake how talented he is. He didn’t shoot the 3 as well as he did a year ago, but he’s still 20, 10 and five. That’s talent. That’s a lot of talent.’’ 

However, Thibodeau liked how the Knicks passed the ball when Randle wasn’t on the court in the final five games. Randle shut it down late with a sore quad. 

But his enigmatic behavior was an issue much of the season. It began with a “thumbs-down” gesture to the Garden crowd in early January, continued with a media boycott, escalated with an altercation in Los Angeles with a laptop held by an assistant coach and culminated with Randle deciding not to the join his teammates for the national anthem or pregame lineup introduction at road games. 

Garden fans chanting Toppin’s name when Randle was on the court had to be a blow to a player who, in fairness, lifted the Knicks to their first playoff berth in eight years a season ago. 

“I think we had our ups and downs this year and when you’re that type of player, he’s gonna get criticism,’’ Thibodeau said. “I’m gonna get criticism. That goes with the turf here. So, you deal with it, come back, use it as motivation. I know one thing: Julius will be in the gym all summer.’’ 

Obi Toppin displayed his improved scoring ability while Julius Randle was sidelined.
Jason Szenes

If the Knicks can’t trade Randle for a fair package, Thibodeau may have to explore a small-ball package with Randle at center and Toppin at power forward. Thibodeau, though, hates it from a defensive standpoint. 

There will be teams interested in the rugged Randle, whose four-year, $117 million contract extension begins next season at $23.7 million. That’s not an exorbitant number at all. Randle is at the top of all opponent scouting reports and is sensational steamrolling to the hoop when in the right frame of mind. 

If the Knicks aren’t getting draft picks and a legitimate starter back, it may not be worth it — unless Randle formally demands a trade. The Mavericks would be an interesting scenario if the Knicks engage Dallas in sign-and-trade talks for free-agent point guard Jalen Brunson. Randle is from Dallas and usually wreaks havoc when he plays in Big D. 

“We had new players, it was hard to develop chemistry right off the bat,’’ Thibodeau said. “But Julius is at his best when he’s running the floor, playing fast or attacking the rim. When he did that, he had a number of big games. He’d be the first to tell you that. When he does that and we spray the ball and it moves fast, we’re good. I’m hopeful that we’ve learned from the All Star break on.’’ 

Thibodeau had been skeptical about Toppin’s defense and 3-point shooting. During the middle of the season, Toppin stopped looking at the basket when he got the ball out deep. He closed the season at 30.6 percent from 3, but 46 percent in the last five games when he started after Randle sat. 

The Randle-Toppin conundrum is going to vex Rose, Randle’s former agent, all offseason. 

Julius Randle stands on the court during the Knicks’ season-closing win over the Raptors.
Jason Szenes

As will the point guard position after the Kemba Walker/Derrick Rose tandem turned into an unmitigated disaster. Rose was done in by an ankle surgery in December and Walker quit in February. 

Meanwhile, Brunson, who’s father, Rick, was Leon Rose’s first client as an agent, is expected to be their top point guard target. The draft isn’t well-stocked with play-making point guards. The Knicks (37-45) are the lottery’s 12th seed with a 7.2 percent chance of vaulting to a top-three pick. 

All things can be settled in the backcourt if Utah superstar combo guard Donovan Mitchell, the Westchester product, petitions for a trade. The Knicks would likely have to lose RJ Barrett in the exchange, but it could be a franchise changer. 

Thibodeau, late Sunday night, didn’t want to get specific on needs. 

“Unlike you [the media], I actually have to watch and dig into it,’’ Thibodeau said. “I could say that I have ideas, which I do. Some. But I want to make sure. I want to dig into it deep and formulate the plan for next year.’’

Read original article here

Sports

Julius Randle denies seeking trade from Knicks after hearing boos

Leave a comment

Julius Randle heard a fair amount of boos during pregame introductions, but the Knicks’ highest-paid player forcefully denied suggestions that he is seeking a trade in the offseason or that he isn’t committed to the organization long term.

“That’s not true, bro. That’s just not true, simple as that, it’s not true at all,” Randle said Wednesday night. “If it didn’t come from me, it ain’t true.”

Randle scored 21 points with seven assists, but the Knicks couldn’t fully erase a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter as their season-best winning streak was halted at four games in a 125-114 loss to the play-in bound Hornets at the Garden.

The loss dropped the Knicks’ tragic number for elimination from play-in contention to one with five games remaining, after the No. 10 Hawks’ blowout victory in Oklahoma City.

“Just keep concentrating on what we’re doing and get better, and then you’re not eliminated until you’re eliminated,” Tom Thibodeau said. “And then when you are, you assess what you want to get done.”

Randle’s intermittent frustration and unhappiness has been evidenced by various instances this season, including a thumbs-down gesture and profane quotes directed at fans and multiple blowups with officials.

Julius Randle
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

This year has been a far cry from the two-way love affair Randle enjoyed with New York one season ago, when he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and the NBA’s Most Improved Player, earning him a four-year contract extension worth $117 million.

The Post reported Wednesday that there are some around the league who believe that Randle has been acting in a “James Harden type of way,” suggesting that he could attempt to force a trade in the offseason.

Thibodeau was incredulous when asked about a further claim by a local radio host this week — which was couched as an “unconfirmed rumor” — that Randle already had expressed that he wanted out following Monday’s victory over Chicago at the Garden

Asked directly if he believes that Randle “wants to be here,” Thibodeau replied: “Yeah. So as a coach, you coach the players that you have. And you love them all. And I do. If you play for me, I love you. It’s really that simple. The challenge for us is to bring the best out of each other.”

Randle previously had asserted his commitment earlier this season, but he stressed after the game: “My answer ain’t changing, bro.”

“My goal and what I work hard for is to make the city proud and make the fans proud,” he said. “I play for my teammates; I play for my family, and it is as simple as that. It is nothing more than that. From the inside looking out, it is what it is, and I understand that a lot of times you have to do your game, do the talking, but I love this city, my family loves it here and I love being a Knick.”

Julius Randle
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

Randle has been fined over $100,000 by the league this season for various infractions, including for saying “shut the f–k up” in a January press conference to explain his use of a thumbs-down gesture to booing fans at one game at the Garden.

Randle also threw the ball away and walked directly into the locker room following Monday’s win. He scored five points on 1-for-9 shooting in that game, and fans had chanted once again for understudy Obi Toppin.

Randle admitted the boos and chants have been toughest on his 5-year-old son, Kyden, and his family.

“That’s probably where most of my frustration comes from. I have my 5-year-old son that’s there, who is obsessed with the game of basketball, loves the game of basketball and he doesn’t understand what’s going on,” Randle said. “That’s probably my biggest frustration — coming from him.

“But at the same time, you have to understand it comes with the territory. The narrative can always flip. I understand that. I understand it’s New York City. I understand how passionate our fans are. You just kind of have to live with the good and the bad.”

Following the pregame boos, Randle seemingly got the home crowd back on his side by nailing two early 3-pointers, and the Knicks shot 61.9 percent from the floor in trailing 31-29 through one quarter. RJ Barrett finished the first half with 17 points to keep the Knicks within three, 58-55 at intermission

The Knicks trailed by a dozen, 95-83, with 10:31 remaining, but a dunk by Barrett and a converted three-point play by Immanuel Quickley (16 points) pulled them within two with just under six minutes to go. But a windmill slam and a corner 3 by Bridges extended the Charlotte cushion back to 11 in the closing minutes.

“I thought we were a step behind all night, and I thought the ball got where they wanted it to,” Thibodeau said. “We didn’t feel good about the way we were playing defensively all night.”

Read original article here

Sports

Knicks’ Julius Randle shed tears over Kenny Payne’s departure

Leave a comment

At Friday’s introductory press conference in Louisville, former Knicks assistant coach Kenny Payne said he, Knicks president Leon Rose and senior advisor William Wesley had “cried six, seven times a day’’ over his decision to leave for his alma mater. 

Payne left out Julius Randle, the former Kentucky stud whom Payne recruited out of Dallas to be part of the Wildcats’ No. 1-ranked class in 2013. 

“Selfishly, it made me sick,’’ Randle said Friday night after the Knicks topped the Wizards, 100-97, at the Garden. “I cried twice, to be honest with you. It made me sick, because I didn’t want him to leave but at the same time I wanted him to go. I never told him that. But he had to. 

“What he did for us in general, the Knicks, is incredible — from player development to managing personalities. Personally, it goes a lot deeper, man. You talk about a young kid from Dallas. Me and my mother. I’m a 17-year-old kid. He came in my house. But my mom sending me away, her only boy? He came to my house and told my mom, ‘I got you. You got nothing to worry about.’ He took me in like I was his own kid and really looked after me.” 

Julius Randle (left) shared a close relationship with Kenny Payne (right).
NBAE via Getty Images

When coach Tom Thibodeau reminisced about Payne’s nearly two-season stint as Knicks assistant, it was his work with Randle at the forefront. 

When Payne came aboard for the 2020-21 season, the 6-foot-8 power forward earned the Most Improved Player Award, became a first-time All-Star and was named Second Team All-NBA. Randle regressed this season, but still is averaging a 20.4 points and 9.9 rebounds. 

Wesley, who has strong ties to the Kentucky program, hired Payne even though Thibodeau didn’t know him. 

“The relationship, probably with Julius,’’ Thibodeau said of Payne’s contribution. “The main thing was the player development end with Julius, the energy, the love for the game.’’ 

With Payne gone, assistant coach Darren Erman, who first worked with Thibodeau when they were both assistants in Boston in 2008, will move to the front row of the bench. It had been a point of contention last season, according a source, when Thibodeau’s guys Andy Greer and Erman sat in the second row while Mike Woodson, Johnnie Bryant and Payne were in front. 

“We have a lot of young coaches who are really talented and they’ll step in and they’re ready for more,’’ Thibodeau said. 

Kenny Payne is introduced as Louisville head coach.
AP

Thibodeau gave kudos to Knicks owner Jim Dolan 

“I want to start by thanking [Dolan] for allowing him to go,’’ Thibodeau said. “We’re thrilled for him.’’ 

Thibodeau started his pregame press conference by giving condolences to the family of Cavaliers scout Tom Barrise, who passed away Friday of cancer. Barrise was Thibodeau’s advance scout in Chicago and a longtime Nets scout who served briefly there as interim coach in 2009. 

“Just a great basketball guy,’’ Thibodeau said. “Just sad news.’’ 

Based in New Jersey, Barrise scouted several Knicks games at the Garden this season for the Cavaliers.

Read original article here

Sports

Julius Randle’s career-high 46 points spark Knicks’ win over Kings

Leave a comment

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Julius Randle got fined by the NBA on Sunday and got even on Monday. 

This time it was the Knicks’ turn to rally from a big deficit and capture a desperately needed victory. 

Randle exploded for a career-high 46 points to lead a 44-point third-quarter barrage as the Knicks rallied from 19 points down in the first half to knock out the Kings, 131-115, in a Wild West shootout at Golden1 Center. 

“When he plays with that type of intensity, it lifts everyone,’’ Tom Thibodeau said. “He was attacking the basket, shooting the 3, making hustle plays. It was a great all-around game from him.’’ 

By winning their back-to-back California set against the Clippers and Kings, the Knicks posted their first two-game winning streak since mid-January when they reeled off three straight wins against San Antonio, Dallas and Atlanta. 

Julius Randle finished with a career-high 46 points.
AP

The Knicks, at 27-38, moved to 4 ½ games behind the Hawks for the 10th seed and final Eastern Conference play-in spot with 17 games to play. They’ve played well since the All-Star break and now have something to show for it. 

Suspect from the 3-point line this season, Randle fired in a career-high eight 3-pointers (on 16 attempts) and shot 18-for-31 overall. 

“I’m taking the open look and just taking it,’’ Randle said of his 3-point bust-out. “Just playing and not second-guessing and shooting the open shot.’’ 

It’s been an odd trip for Randle, who received a $50,000 fine from the NBA on Sunday for not participating in the league’s investigation into his Friday skirmish in Phoenix with Cam Johnson. 

Asked about the fine, Randle paused and said, “Next question. I’m already in too much trouble.’’ 

RJ Barrett also had a big second half and finished with 27 points, and Immanuel Quickley also fired in 27. Evan Fournier shook off an 0-for-4 start to pile up 15 points. 

The Knicks exploded for a 35-17 start to the second half to erase a 15-point halftime hole. They racked up 83 points in the second half, their most after intermission since 1969. Randle had 32 points in the second half. 

“Julius had a lot to do with that,’’ Barrett said. “All of us had a crazy rhythm. It’s fun moving the ball and everyone gets to eat.’’ 

They were dead in the water in the first half and minus their sparkplug center Mitchell Robinson, who picked up two fouls in the first two minutes, was removed and then was said to have “an illness.’’ 

Julius Randle goes up for a shot during the Knicks’ win over the Kings.
USA TODAY Sports

Randle hit a 3 in the final minute of the third to give the Knicks a 92-87 lead and they ran away with it in the fourth quarter, keeping in their chief players until the final two minutes. 

The Knicks outscored the Kings 44-24 in the third, the most points they’ve scored in any period this season. Randle scored 17 in the quarter and had 30 entering the final period. 

The bad news was Cam Reddish was injured. Going up to contest a shot early in the fourth quarter, Reddish got upended by a driving Davion Mitchell and fell badly, hitting his shoulder. Reddish stayed down, holding his head, then was helped off clutching his right shoulder with 11:11 left. Thibodeau said he was still being examined after the game. 

The Knicks also got a gutty defensive performance from rookie point guard Miles McBride. Late in the third, McBride stole the ball from Mitchell and got fouled. On the next possession, McBride forced a jump ball. 

As good as it would get, the game started badly. The Kings jumped to 7-0 and 12-2 leads. Robinson picked up two fouls in the opening 1:40, including one on a 3-point play from Sabonis, who later got himself ejected for arguing and bumping a referee. 

Immanuel Quickley finished with 27 points.
AP

Robinson was removed and rookie backup center Jericho Sims picked up three fouls. Instead of going back to Robinson, Thibodeau put in the veteran Taj Gibson for the first time since the All-Star break. 

Without Robinson, the Knicks’ defense allowed the Kings much of everything. De’Aaron Fox went to the basket with impunity, scoring on four easy layups. 

The Kings got up as many as 20 points in the second quarter and led 63-48 at intermission before it all crashed and burned. 

“We knew Sacramento was a good team but they’re known to give up leads,’’ Quickley said. 

“We knew it would be challenging coming into the game because of the back-to-back and their speed,’’ Thibodeau said. “Fox’s speed is a great test for you and we got into a hole early. But we never quit and that was the best thing. We kept fighting, fighting. And then Julius got going and it was pretty terrific what he did all-around.’’ 

“We were getting our legs and were a little tired after the back to back,’’ Barrett added. “We needed these two wins.’’

Read original article here

Sports

Julius Randle ejected for altercation with Cameron Johnson

Leave a comment

Julius Randle was ejected from the Knicks’ game against the Suns. 

With 2:30 left in the third quarter, Randle and the Suns’ Cameron Johnson collided as Randle attempted to box Johnson out on Evan Fournier’s three-point shot. After the shot, Randle stormed into Johnson’s chest. After referee Dedric Taylor attempted to break the two up, Randle stormed back, making contact with the Taylor, and shoved Johnson.

Randle and Johnson were issued double technicals for their initial altercation. For his second act – storming back at Johnson, making contact with the ref and shoving Johnson – Randle was issued a second technical for an unsportsmanlike act, which led to his ejection. 

The Knicks were winning 86-76 at the time of Randle’s ejection.

Read original article here

Sports

Knicks spoil RJ Barrett’s career 46-point night in loss to Heat

Leave a comment

RJ Barrett scored a career-high 46 points, but the first game out of the All-Star break turned into Black Friday for the Knicks at the Garden. 

After Derrick Rose’s return was scrapped by another “procedure’’ to his right ankle, the black-clad Knicks lost to the Heat, 115-100, and to make matters worse, they lost rookie shooting guard Quentin Grimes to a subluxation of the patella, which is a partially dislocated kneecap. 

The new losses of Grimes and Rose and the loss on the court nearly overshadowed Barrett’s career-high scoring night, while Julius Randle came back to Earth with a stinker. 

The Knicks dropped 10 games below .500 at 25-35. The totality of Black Friday means the Knicks’ chances of making a play-in push look to be over. 

“You got to play for 48 minutes especially against a team like that,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There’s a different intensity in the fourth quarter. So your decision-making is different.” 

The Knicks spoiled RJ Barrett’s career night.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The loss spoiled Barrett’s career night. He notched a 30-point first half and had his new high in the third quarter. 

“Of course I was going for 50,’’ Barrett said. 

Barrett’s line was slightly marred by a 14-for-22 night from the free-throw line. Barrett went 13-for-22 from the field — 6-for-11 from 3-point range — as he took over the game. 

“It’s bittersweet,’’ Barrett said. “Especially when you have a night like that, you want to get the win, which is the most important thing. For us, we fought. We really battled. They’re the No. 1 or 2 team in the East. Fourth quarter I feel like they showed their maturity more than we did. Especially myself, I had terrible turnovers. I don’t know what I was doing.’’ 

The Heat’s Jimmy Butler said Barrett will be “the face of the Knicks.’’ It’s noteworthy because Barrett is looking like a young Butler. 

“He was attacking every chance he got in transition,’’ Butler said. “Getting to the cup. Getting to the free throw line. Making the 3-ball. He had a hell of a game, an all-around game at that. I don’t think anybody is surprised or should be surprised.’’ 

RJ Barrett finished with a career-high 46 points.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“He had great month last month,’’ Thibodeau said of Barrett. “He’s playing great basketball. He played very aggressively. It’s a good sign he’s growing. His shooting the 3 opened up the drive.’’ 

The worst-case scenario for Grimes, a pillar whose playing time figured to increase as the Knicks fall out of the race, is that he could be out for the season. The timetable ranges from two to six weeks. His knee buckled when getting around a screen by Miami’s P.J. Tucker in the first half, and he had to be helped off by teammates and training staff. 

Grimes later tweeted: “Everything’s all good y’all!” 

Things got so bleak late in the half, fans chanted “Let’s Go Heat’’ — a chant normally associated with Miami visiting the Nets’ Barclays Center home. The chant arose in the final seconds. It’s a good thing owner James Dolan was nowhere to be found. 

Quentin Grimes clutches his right knee.
Getty Images

Meanwhile, Randle, who had been hot entering the All-Star break, looked broken. He has a history of poor first games out of breaks. 

Randle made his first shot, then missed his next 12. He threw errant passes and heard boos. He finished with 11 points on 2-for-15 shooting, with four turnovers. 

“I told you,’’ Randle said. “I knew it was gonna happen. I just hoped we win. I was hoping RJ saved me. But I told you, I’ll be fine next game. I was shooting the ball well pregame, so I was like, maybe I break out of this first-game-after-All-Star slump, but nope. It didn’t happen. It’s all good though, man.’’ 

Julius Ranlde missed 12 straight shots after making his first field goal.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

On one odd play, Randle stole the ball, was fouled on his charge to the basket and apparently thought he was at the Slam Dunk Contest when he tried a wild, over-the-head slam that he flubbed embarrassingly. He also got blocked at the rim by Bam Abedayo. 

Barrett was on fire while Randle wilted. With the Knicks down two late in third quarter, Randle threw away a back pass, which Tyler Herro gobbled up and drove in for a fast-break slam. 

Despite Barrett’s 30-point first half, the Heat led by 65-55 at halftime. With the fans chanting his name, Barrett buried a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half, but the Knicks still trailed by 10. 

The Knicks raced to a 10-0 lead before folding behind Herro’s 3-point shooting. Herro finished with 25 points and Butler had 23. 

Afterward, Randle claimed he didn’t know Rose had a setback nor did he know about Grimes’ exact status, continuing his being in the dark on Black Friday.

Read original article here