The Knicks are a must-watch on television thanks to Julius Randle’s comeback play, Mitchell Robinson’s painting, and a grind that begins with Jalen Brunson.
Here are three things to remember from last night’s Knicks victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
1.Julius Randle is prepared to receive your votes for All-Stars: Leading all scorers on another outstanding night in Atlanta, Julius Randle led the Knicks to a 116-114 victory. He narrowly missed a triple double at State Farm Arena for the second time this season. He grabbed ten rebounds, dished out eight assists, and bullied his way through the paint, making 12 of his 24 field goal attempts for 29 points. More of Josh’s resurgent play can be found here.
Randle would end the game last night with the team’s highest plus/minus of +12. It appears that the ankle problem that sidelined him in his first few games is behind him. For the time being. Hopefully, it won’t happen again during the season.
2. Mitchell Robinson’s gratitude is still lacking: Six of the 14 offensive rebounds that the Knicks pulled down last night belonged to Mitch. The big guy would end up with four stocks and fifteen boards in total. New York scored 21 second chance points to Atlanta’s 4 in a game they won by two points. Mitchell’s efforts were mostly to blame for that.
I overheard someone disparage Mitch for not having committed any fouls the previous evening. No, that statistic ought to be shouted from the rooftops. Each other Knick who entered the court at least once fouled someone. Robinson labored crazily for more than thirty minutes while stuck in traffic, thrashing and moaning, and never received a whistle? At a match officiated by Scott Foster? Mitch’s clean play is commendable for someone who was in foul trouble for a large portion of his early career.
3. These refuse to quit The Knicks showed unwavering perseverance last night even though they trailed by seven points in the late stages of the game. After Thibs huddled the team for a timeout, they stormed back with an 8-0 run.
It was not a pretty game of basketball, and the Knicks had several opportunities to give up in the closing minutes. Teams from a few years ago would have. Not these Knicks. After playing for thirty feverish minutes, Mitchell Robinson continued to leap and lurch around the court as the clock drew near; Josh Hart appeared to be barely tired; and Brunson, Randle, and Quickley all made crucial shots in the closing moments without losing their accuracy due to exhaustion. Supporting a team that exudes such pride and resilience is effortless.
Specifically, Jalen Brunson. Brunson performed well in the first quarter but faltered at times during the rest of the game. Still, he never gives up and never fails to find methods to make a difference. He will give up his body to be steamrolled in order to force a hard charge on the defensive end if his shot misses. He dug deep and sank crucial buckets in the fourth quarter, with victory teetering and tilting away. With 19 seconds remaining, it was his jumper that gave New York the advantage they needed to win the game.
To the core, Brunson is a winner, and he establishes the bar for everyone else. This is a dawg team, all due respect to Frankie Smokes. I can’t wait to watch their upcoming game just thinking about their previous one. As a fan, what more is there to ask for?