Julius Randle erupts for 46 points in Knicks' win over Wizards

After the recent addition of Josh Hart and the return Friday night of Mitchell Robinson, All-Star forward Julius Randle believes there “absolutely is another level” to which the Knicks can ascend as they close out the regular season.

The first contest of their 22-game stretch run following the All-Star break slarted slowly, but ultimately Randle’s belief was borne out as his career-high masterpiece helped the Knicks storm back from a 19-point hole to post their fourth straight win, 115-109, over the Wizards in Washington.

“Just came out aggressive. That time of the year. Just gotta lock in,” said Randle, who matched his career high with 46 points. “It was a big win for us. We needed this, especially coming off the break. Another team that gets off to fast starts, so they did that and we responded.”

All-Star snub Jalen Brunson had 13 points with nine assists and Immanuel Quickley scored 16 as the Knicks (34-27) improved to 18-12 away from Madison Square Garden, the second-best road record in the league. Randle previously netted 46 points in Sacramento in March of last season.

“Beautiful. The way he played, really, he’s the reason we won,” Brunson who shot 6-for-20 from the field, said of Randle. “He kept us in it. That’s just Julius being Julius. Happy he did it today.

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

“When you see the ball going in every time you shoot the ball, the aggression just continues to grow. He kept staying aggressive. Even when he missed a couple, he kept going and going. I think he kind of knew he needed to do that tonight. I’m happy he did.”

Robinson also had an active all-around game with a double-double — 10 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes — in his first action since he underwent thumb surgery on Jan. 19.

Hart had just five points, but he was active on defense and in diving for loose balls in 27 minutes off the bench in his fourth game — and win — since his trade-deadline acquisition.

Immanuel Quickley shoots during the Knicks’ win over the Wizards on Feb. 24. Getty Images

“I think we can be a really good team that can make a run,” Hart said Thursday. “I’m not gonna sit here and say that we can be the two-seed or whatever it is. But we’re a team who can make a run, who I think teams won’t want to play.”

The Heat and Nets both were blown out Friday night, so the Knicks solidified their hold on the No. 6 playoff position in the Eastern Conference, with a chance to advance further in the standings. They now are 1 ½ games ahead of Miami and just one behind the fifth-place Nets, who dealt away superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving before the trade deadline earlier this month.

“We can do it. We understand the time is now,” Randle said. “We had to start off the last part of the season with a win, so we did that.”

Julius Randle shoots during the Knicks’ win over the Wizards on Feb. 24. USA TODAY Sports

Randle paced the Knicks with 12 points in the opening quarter, but former Knick Kristaps Porzingis poured in 19 of his 23 points in the first, going 5-for-5 on 3-point tries, as the Wizards (28-31) grabbed a 38-27 lead.

The Knicks trailed by 19 midway through the second quarter, but Randle took over with two driving dunks, a steal-and-layup sequence and one of his seven 3-pointers as the Knicks closed the half on a 10-0 run to slash their deficit to 64-60 by intermission.

“Terrific. Big shot after big shot,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We withstood the flurry at the start of the game, but then as the game went on, the defense got a lot better.”

Julius Randle dunks during the Knicks’ win over the Wizards on Feb. 24.AP

Two contested treys by Randle gave him a season-high 44 points — and handed the Knicks a 105-102 lead — with just under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. He also sank two free throws with 1:16 remaining to match his career-best output.

Bradley Beal’s 3-pointer knotted the score at 109-109 with a minute left, but Brunson hit a scoop shot in traffic and Randle fed Robinson underneath for another bucket for a four-point lead with 11.2 seconds remaining.

“The way we fought through speaks volumes,” Brunson said. “We’ve got to start that way from the beginning of the game. I’m happy we can learn from a win but we’ve got to continue to get better.”

https://newzander.com/2023/02/25/julius-randle-erupts-for-46-points-in-knicks-win-over-wizards/