Knicks Fan Applaud Randle
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Samori Benjamin
Tibbs Crew Struggling in Last 9 Games
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The Knicks lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-99 last Friday night. After an eight game streak for the Knicks which spanned from December 15th through January 1st, they have now lost six of their last nine games. Friday night’s loss was against their former All-Star, three of the last four seasons, power forward Julius Randle. Randle was traded from the Knicks to Minnesota days before training camp began this season for Karl Anthony Towns who has played so well that he’s ranked number four on the NBA.com MVP ladder halfway through the season. The Knicks got the better of the matchup on December 19th when Towns went for 32 points and 20 rebounds. New York won by 26 that night but last night Towns did not play due to an injured finger. Randle finished with just eight points to go along with seven rebounds, and six assists but his All-NBA teammate Anthony Edwards was the best player on the court with a game high 36 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
For Julius Randle it was a happy homecoming and he reflected postgame on the nice reception that he received from the crowd. “It was good, this is a place that will always be like a home to me. My family, so many great people and fans that I have here,” Randle said in the postgame media scrum sitting at his locker after the game. “I enjoyed every second that I played here at Madison Square Garden, so it was fun.” Randle let the game come to him as he had more assists (7) than he had shot attempts (6). “I felt at home to be honest. This is a place that I am familiar with, so it was good to be back.” When Randle signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2019 the franchise had just come off its lowest win total, of 17, in franchise history. Five and a half years later the Knicks are now one of the top teams in the league with aspirations of winning a championship. “I like to think I played a part but there were a lot of people, there were a lot of hands-on deck and I just tried to give my best every single night I came out here.”
Randle’s contributions to the Knicks franchise will not be forgotten and for him it was a pleasure playing in front of the New York fans for five seasons, the longest he has been with any franchise. “It was amazing. Knicks fans are amazing. The energy that they bring and the passion that they bring every single game, in the playoffs and everything is unmatched. So, I had a tremendous time here.”
The Knicks were 27-16 after the loss putting them in third place in the Eastern conference. They hosted the Atlanta Hawks (22-19) on their annual Martin Luther King Jr game Monday afternoon. The Hawks took out the Boston Celtics on the road Saturday night in overtime 119-115.
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