A historic night time for Julius Randle ended with him choosing up a technical, capturing an airball and yelling at a referee because the buzzer sounded.
What a letdown.
His 57 factors — tied with Richie Guerin’s mark for third most in franchise historical past — was spoiled by an unpleasant end to a 140-134 loss Monday night time to the Timberwolves, a defeat cast with porous protection and solidified by the Knicks being outscored 11-3 within the ultimate 2 ½ minutes.
The dagger was a layup from Minnesota’s Taurean Prince, the unlikely hero with 35 factors, who transformed the shot proper over Randle with 10 seconds remaining. Randle responded by throwing the ball in frustration — an automated technical — after which tossing up a contested airball on New York’s ultimate possession.
“It’s a shame to waste a performance like that,” Tom Thibodeau instructed reporters. “You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Randle’s shot that eclipsed 50 factors was a fadeaway 3-pointer within the third quarter, the kind of conversion that may solely appear really easy when a participant is scorching sizzling.
It was momentous for a pair causes: the trey assured Randle grew to become simply the eighth Knick to attain 50 factors in a recreation, the primary since Carmelo Anthony set the franchise document with 62 factors over 9 years in the past. It tied the rating after the Knicks trailed by as many as 17, which appeared to shift the momentum completely till New York’s offense went ice chilly within the ultimate 5 minutes.
Along the best way, Randle dropped 26 alone within the third quarter, a franchise document for any quarter. He completed capturing 19-for-29, together with 8-for-14 on 3-pointers and 11 factors from the foul line. Randle, whose earlier career-high was 46 factors, added 4 rebounds in his 37 minutes.
It was a field rating to hold in Randle’s more and more crowded memorabilia room. Just black out the fourth quarter.
“They had their way,” Thibodeau mentioned. “Got in a big hole. Fought to get out of it. And then came up short at the end. But we were playing with fire the whole game.”
So it was each historic and embarrassing, particularly for the protection. The Timberwolves, lacking high scorers Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, scored with little resistance. The defeat snapped a three-game successful streak for the Knicks (42-31), who are actually two video games forward of the Nets for fifth within the East with 9 remaining.
Despite lacking high scorers Edwards and Towns, the Timberwolves began the sport on hearth whereas hitting their first 10 subject objectives and constructing a 14-point lead within the opening quarter. The Knicks protection was exceptionally lax, and the Timberwolves had been hitting their photographs at an incredible charge.
It resulted in 79 factors for the guests in simply the primary half. But the Knicks agreed to play quick, and so they responded with their very own pile of buckets to chop the deficit from 17 to 9 by the break. Randle dropped 26 factors in these opening two quarters, together with a formidable and-1 dunk by means of the lane.
He then scored 26 alone within the third quarter, and it was establishing as a crowning achievement at Madison Square Garden.
But it crumbled down the stretch.
“We looked like we were in mud, a step behind on everything,” Thibodeau mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com