Finally, a game that fills Knick fans with pride and hope. Where to begin with the accolades? Perhaps RJ Barrett deserves the first star as he has received the most criticism in the past. Although Barrett led the team with a team low -4, he worked harder on D than previously. He fouled out with 2 offensive and 4 defensive infractions. DeRozan was RJ’s main defensive assignment, and although DeMar scored 32 points, half were garnered on the foul line. Barrett competed with notable effort. Offensively, 4-7 from three and 8-17 overall made for an efficient night. In fact, the terrible shots that he took accounted for most of RJ’s misses.
The second star goes to Jalen Brunson. He brought the Knicks home in OT. Javonte Green picked up two fouls trying to contain Jalen in the first period and did a credible job. It was surprising not to see him guarding Brunson in the OT. The loss of Ayo Dosunmu also hurt the Bulls here. Jalen Brunson kept using the P&R with Jules to get favorable mismatches. Randle had Knick fans biting their nails every time he turned his back in the lane. Thankfully he successfully passed out of the triple teams to find Grimes for open threes. Jalen sealed the win with a triple of his own.
After a win like this against a quality team with almost all their stars in the line up, there are plenty of stars to go around with Mitch, Q and Jules all deserving credit for this win. Mitch was a monster on the offensive glass with 6 boards and tips that were often corralled by team mates. Q was 5-8, 4-7 with a team high +14. Randle turned in a 30 point effort and was hot early helping the Knicks take a commanding lead. He missed a game winning step back at the end of regulation. It was makeable. The criticism is with the performance, not the choice. Jules could add this to his arsenal to replace his spin move. What makes this shot less than reliable for Randle is that he takes a jump back rather than a step back. The adjustment he must make to master the step back is to eliminate the jump. Watch players like Brunson, Jokic and Luka. They are much more stable and therefore more consistent.
On the subject Julius Randle’s jumping, what is with the ‘kick up your heels’ move? This is something little kids do to make themselves feel like they have major hang time. It can’t be an asset on a J.
Congratulations New York Knicks on a team win. It was a pleasure to watch this game.
Knicks – Bulls Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468573