New York Knicks' Julius Randle scored a season-high 36 points on his 28th birthday, helping his team towards a swashbuckling 140- 110 win over the Detroit Pistons in Wednesday's early schedule.
Wednesday 30 November 2022 11:48, UK
Julius Randle scored a season-high 36 points on his 28th birthday, helping the New York Knicks extend their win streak with a blistering 140-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
"He was super aggressive early, and he got into a great rhythm," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He always does a good job of moving without the ball and his teammates were searching for him out tonight."
The Knicks led 70-56 at the break thanks to Randle, who went 6 for 11 on 3-pointers in a 26-point half as New York outshot Detroit 52.4 per cent to 36.8 per cent from behind the arc. His team had him to thank inside the paint too, as they became more seamless in knitting together patterns of attack.
"We've been scoring a ton of points, and it is because of how we're playing as a team, with him," Thibodeau said. "We're sharing the ball, we're making plays, we're getting to the line a lot. I like where we are offensively."
Indeed, Randle's efforts gave the likes of Quentin Grimes and Jalen Brunson, both scoring 16 points, to cash in too, though he remained at the forefront of the attack.
Randle carried it into the fourth quarter when he scored three quick baskets, drew a technical foul when pushed, and took the Knicks into the 100's.
The Pistons, who were playing their eighth game in 13 days, have not had any luck or reprieve in their own fixture list, having played and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns in their last two clashes on court.
When asked to comment on this, head coach Dwayne Casey stated: "This one, I put on the schedule. It's been a tough game, he's (Randle) an old-school power forward, so he gets lots of points at the rim, and when he's shooting like he did tonight, he's tough. When he got those first couple of threes, I knew it was going to be a long night."
It doesn't get any easier for Casey or his team as they next face the Dallas Mavericks, fresh from their victory over the Golden State Warriors, led by the current NBA top-scorer, Luka Doncic.
