Randle Helps Break Losing Streak
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Derrel Jazz Johnson
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The New York Knicks got off to a great start against the Cleveland
Cavaliers, with Julius Randle scoring 17 first-quarter points and the
team leading by as many as 13 points in the second quarter. But
Cleveland fought back and led the Knicks by as many as 8 in an
intriguing, back-and-forth game. With the Knicks up two, Cleveland
star Donovan Mitchell attempted a game-tying shot but missed and the
Knicks walked away with a 105-103 win.
Said Randle after about his approach and the challenge of going against the
big front line of Cleveland, “well, I just try to use my speed and my quickness,” he began.
“Obviously, being in my spots and getting them off balance and you
know either make a play at the rim or you know the three’s on the
perimeter were wide open today as well.”
With Mitchell Robison out, Jericho Sims started at the center. But
reserve Isaiah Hartenstein played the entire fourth quarter and made
one of the game’s biggest plays. Randle recognized the effort of
Hartenstein and the bench. “It was great, very huge, they made plays constantly,” he observed.
“Obviously, the play Isaiah made at the end of the game was big time.”
Hartenstein spoke about the potentially game-saving play at the end of the game.
“(Coach Thibodeau) screams it every time – verticality, verticality,
so that was all going through my head,” he said. “Being vertical no
matter what he does, if he tries to do what he did and draw a foul, my
main thing was being vertical and if he made it, he made it, but I
just didn’t want to let him draw a foul.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talked about the team losing games
like this earlier this season. “Oftentimes these games, and we’ve had
a number go against us, it’s an offensive rebound, it’s a loose ball
and they’ve recovered a couple balls that were deflected, and
sometimes that’s the difference.”
The Knicks go on the road to face the Boston Celtics Thursday night before
going to Brooklyn Saturday to face the Nets.
Sports Editor Andrew Rosario contributed to this article.
