Randle Band Wagon Rolls On in Loss to Bucks
The Knicks continued their solid team play in last night’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes had off nights while Jalen Brunson lit it up from all over the floor. The most encouraging part of Jules 1 for 12 from deep was that he kept taking open threes instead of forcing his ISO 1 on 3 game. Otherwise, he was an efficient 8 for 17 and 6 of 7 from the stripe for a 25 point night. Jules was every bit as effective as Giannis just check their stat lines. Randle outscored and out rebounded Giannis. Unlike the Bucks super star, Randle’s game meshed with the Knicks’ synergy. No Knick passed on his own shot to get Julius the ball. No Knick questioned what he should be doing while Jules had the ball. They had 16 assists even though their PG was on a scoring binge. Good teams play their game, hot or cold. Last night, IQ and Brunson were the most effective scorers while Randle and Grimes had off nights. Most importantly, the Knicks played like a cohesive unit.
Stop ‘the Freak’ with a wall. Because of his offensive limitations, this strategy works. When Antetokounmpo hits his first attempt from beyond the arc, opponents are giddy with the expectation that Giannis will take a lot more threes because of his initial success. He took two more and missed both. The Knicks wall was Julius Randle with some help from his friends. It was good to see a tough, spirited Julius, in place of the often whining, chippy one. At the age of 28, Julius Randle could be growing up right before our eyes. Of course, as cynical Knick fans, it is easier to believe that an improving Jules is simply a mirage to our talent starved eyes.
The Knicks D gave up 38 points in the final quarter. Joe Ingles came off the bench to hit 5 of 11 threes and Jrue Holiday got hot late hitting key threes and his only two free throws of the game. If you are going to sell out on D to build a wall, corner threes will always be available. In the final quarter, the Bucks hit shots that they had been missing most of the game. The wall succeeded in limiting Giannis to a very quiet 22 points. Milwaukee has a wealth of three point scorers. The shot nearly 40% and that was the difference in the game. New york continues to prove that they are no longer a play-in pretender, but rather a top six contender.
ESPN Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468762