Knicks Win 2 Straight As Barrett, Quickley, and Randle Get It Popping
Photo from ESPN
The New York Knicks have won 2 straight games for the first time since January 15th, when they had knocked off the Mavericks and Hawks. In these 2 games, there has been many different bright spots to look at. The biggest one being RJ Barrett.
RJ Barrett has absolutely turned the corner as a basketball player in the NBA these last couple months or so. Since the New Year, he has averaged 22 PPG in January, 28 PPG in February, and 26 PPG to start the month of March. His shooting percentages have also gone up as he has made a point to sort of hi-jack the offense, which has been working pretty well when he remains the focal point. His on-ball defense has been pretty awesome, as he is taking on the toughest assignment every game.
Against the Clippers, we saw RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Cam Reddish show why they are the future of this organization. RJ scored at all 3 levels while Quickley had his shot falling, and almost stole the inbound pass on multiple occasions. Lastly, Cam Reddish absolutely took over the 4th quarter right when it looked like it was going to be another blown lead for the Knicks to end the game. Reddish scored the first 8 points for the Knicks to open the quarter, showing off his handle and other shooting aspects of his game. Quickley was also showing off some of his playmaking skills finding Reddish and Barrett throughout the game.
When it comes to Julius Randle, he did not have the best game against the Clippers, but I must say his 2nd half was still rather impressive and he played with a lot of effort and got his way to the basket. The praise I have for Randle, however, comes from last night’s win against Sacremento.
Whenever Julius Randle sees Domantas Sabonis in front of him, he sees barbecue chicken on a silver platter. Randle was hitting every shot you could think of: finishing around the rim, pull up jumpers, long step back 3’s, you name it, he made it. On top of that, he really was a great part of their defense in the 2nd half, forcing Sabonis into tough decisions, helping the Knicks get the ball back on offense. In accumulation, Randle finished with a CAREER HIGH 46 POINTS.
RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley also had great games, with 29 and 27 points, respectively. RJ did not take a lot of 3’s, but he was getting every kind of 2-pointer imaginable. Quickley was also getting his shot to fall, as well as getting some rhythm from the free throw line, as he took 11 shots from the charity stripe with 10 makes.
After a brutal stretch of games, it was nice to get some wins in. However, the Knicks still have one of the tougher schedules remaining, with the Heat, Grizzlies, Jazz, Mavericks, Bulls, and Cavs all appearing on their schedule with limited games remaining.
They can look to ride this streak tomorrow in Dallas. With no Porzingis, I have no real problems with the Mavs now and hope they can find some playoff success. But for now, Go New York Go New York Go.
