His off-ball defense has deteriorated this season, though, so the late steal stood out. Randle's career year was primarily driven by scorching-hot shooting, and it was always going to be difficult to sustain that. This sequence effectively ended the game. Randle read the Hawks' after-timeout play perfectly, ripped the ball right out of Bogdanovic's hands and, seconds later, made his sixth 3 of the night. The Knicks would surely have liked to see him take more than four free throws, but he can't be accused of lacking aggression.ĭown by 17 points with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Atlanta called a timeout. Randle made quick decisions upon catching the ball, and he gave it up when he drew an extra defender. ![]() This wasn't just tough shot-making, although there was certainly some of that. ![]() If the holiday accounts for the extra pep in his step, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau should consider wearing a Santa Claus costume to every game going forward. There was an error processing your subscription.Įarly in the game, ESPN's "wired" segment caught Randle saying he was in the Christmas spirit. Here are three takeaways from the Knicks' impressive Christmas Day win. Delon Wright and John Collins scored 20 points apiece, but starters Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish and Clint Capela scored a combined 24 points on 8-for-34 shooting. Shorthanded without Trae Young and Kevin Huerter, among other players in protocols, they shot 33 for 87 from the field. The Hawks, meanwhile, were anything but merry. Rookie Quentin Grimes, fresh out of COVID protocols, shot 5 for 12 from 3-point range off the bench. Randle finished with 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including 6 for 9 from deep, plus 12 rebounds, looking like the All-Star player that he was during the 2020-21 regular season. Walker did not play a single minute in between Nov. This follows Walker's 44-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Thursday. ![]() When Walker checked out after playing 40 minutes, the Madison Square Garden crowd stood up and chanted his name. (This was New York's 54th Christmas game, a league high.) He didn't shoot particularly well (3 for 12 overall, 2 for 9 from deep) but, outside of Randle, did the lion's share of the playmaking, with Derrick Rose recovering from ankle surgery, Immanuel Quickley reconditioning after a stint in the health and safety protocols and Miles McBride still in protocols. Walker recorded the seventh Christmas triple-double in NBA history and first for a Knick. Walker wasn't the Knicks' best player in Saturday's 101-87 win over the Atlanta Hawks - that honor is unquestionably Julius Randle's - but, given the circumstances, his 10 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds added up to the biggest story. A week after returning to the New York Knicks' rotation, Kemba Walker unwrapped a triple-double on Christmas Day.
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