The New York Knicks recorded another victory on Monday night and the third consecutive victory by defeating the Atlanta Hawks by 44 points from Julius Randle.
By scoring more than 40 points, Randle broke a 183-game series in which the Knicks did not have a 40-point score. It was the longest active series in the NBA. The last Knicks player to score 40 or more was Trey Burke against the Charlotte Hornets in March 2018. Randle’s 44 points are the best of his previous high with the Knicks of 35.
What a performance for Julius Randle:
🔥 44 points
🔥 9 Reb
Ast 5 Ast
🔥 7/13 3-PT FG pic.twitter.com/RZmz8OQSNW– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 16 February 2021
44 PTS (season high)
7 15:00 (career highlight)
9 REB
5 AST
59.3 FPTSHave a good night, Julius Randle 👏 pic.twitter.com/l4kOKV9BnF
– NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) 16 February 2021
After the game, teammates surrounded Theo Pinson, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett Randle and declared him an All-Star. And in post-match interviews, coach Tom Thibodeau and his teammates gave Randle further pressure to be named as a reserve when the teams are announced next week.
“What else does he have to do?” Asked Barrett after the game. “The man is a star.”
“If this guy is not an All-Star, there’s a problem.”
Julius Randle’s teammates started the interview after the game after dropping 44 with a win dropped pic.twitter.com/IATz3X5TFq
– ESPN (@espn) 16 February 2021
“Absolutely,” Thibodeau said when asked if Randle was an All-Star. “And that’s not only what he did statistically, but I also think the impact on winning. He makes other people better. He played an overall game, strong on both sides of the ball. He has an unselfish game played.He does it in a number of different ways.He plays several positions … He does it all.But the most important thing is the impact he has on winning, and hopefully it will be acknowledged.But I know that his teammates are very much appreciated. and his coaches, the organization, definitely our supporters, for what he brings to our team. ‘
Randle also talked about supporting his teammates.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Randle said. “For me, those guys trust me and believe in me every night to lead the team and that’s a great feeling. It’s a joint thing, that we do out there, and I’m just trying to be the best leader. possible that I can be. Just try to be a guy they want to follow, or a man they trust to lead the team. For me I try to do everything the right way. Be a man they can rely on and the game is going the right way. ‘