BBNBA: Julius Randle, Knicks take out defending champs
Another day, another big night from former Wildcats in the association. While you patiently wait for kickoff over at Kroger tonight, let’s dive into how some of our guys performed on Friday evening.
Julius Randle gets Knicks back to winning ways
The New York Knickerbockers bounced back in a major way against Giannis and the Bucks in Milwaukee. After losing two winnable games to the Raptors and the Pacers, the Knicks were in danger of sliding into a significant losing streak; essentially destroying any early-season momentum they had accumulated.
In his short tenure as coach of the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau has made it abundantly clear that he does not lose to the Bucks. He now sits at 3-1 against Milwaukee in his two years in NY after the 113-98 victory on Friday.
It’s almost unfathomable how the Knicks ended up with a 15-point victory in this contest. They were down as much as 21 at one point and couldn’t make a bucket to save their lives. Good thing a couple of former Coach Cal guys stepped up for New York.
Randle was back to being Randle last night. After some shaky outings the past few nights, Randle came out with 32 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in just over 33 minutes of action. With how much he is personally putting on himself to be a vocal leader for this team, last night’s game against the Bucks is a prime example of why he’s ready to lead. And when he’s not on the floor? The Knicks trot out Derrick Rose, who was huge off the bench for New York, sparking the second-unit to propel the comeback.
Immanuel Quickley added nine points with his 18 minutes of game action and has been looking notably more comfortable since the beginning of the season. We’re also starting to get Nerlens Noel updates as he eases his way back into the lineup. The center recorded 13 rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes.
Giannis and the Bucks are really struggling right now for ways to win basketball games. That will change in due time, the Bucks are still built to succeed late in the season and in the playoffs.
De’Aaron Fox puts up 21 in Kings blowout over Hornets
So, the Kings may actually be a good basketball team. That’s with De’Aaron Fox having his worst start to a season ever in terms of shooting. The point guard put in 21 points last night, shooting 7-15 overall but 0-3 from deep. Through nine games this season, Fox is shooting 39.2% from the field, 17.8% from three. Based simply on the law of averages he won’t shoot this bad all season, and that’s exciting for a Kings team outperforming expectations.
On the other bench, Nick Richards tallied seven points and two rebounds in 19 minutes for the Hornets. The increase in time may be in part to the frontcourt depth taking a hit with P.J. Washington hyperextending his elbow, who was off to a great start to the season.
Keldon Johnson leads Spurs over Magic
Olympic Gold Medalist Keldon Johnson stacked up another impressive performance for an otherwise mediocre Spurs team. The 22-year-old put up 20 points and nine rebounds on 8-15 from the field in the 102-89 win over the Magic. Johnson didn’t attempt a three on the night, which was probably the smart move considering he’s shooting 14.3% from deep on the year.
Watching him and Dejounte Murray turn into focal points in this offense is going to be fun to watch. Along with Johnson, Murray poured in 20 with 11 rebounds and seven assists to power San Antonio. The Spurs may not be great, or even good, in the near future. However, they do have promise with Murray and the former Wildcat.
Statistics
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | TOs | Mins | +/- |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 113-98 W @ MIL | 32 | 11-22 (3-9) | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 13 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 140-110 W vs. CHA | 21 | 7-15 (0-3) | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 21 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 102-89 W @ ORL | 20 | 8-15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 11 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 104-84 L vs. LAC | 20 | 7-11 (3-5) | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 32 | -28 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 113-98 W @ MIL | 9 | 4-9 (1-3) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 104-84 W @ MIN | 9 | 2-13 (0-4) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 110-140 L @ SAC | 7 | 2-5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 19 | -12 |
| Nerlens Noel (NYK) | 113-98 W @ MIL | 6 | 2-2 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 22 |
| Trey Lyles (DET) | 96-90 L vs. BKN | 5 | 1-4 (0-1) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | `11 | 13 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 104-84 L vs. LAC | 2 | 1-3 (0-1) | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | -7 |
| Kevin Knox (NYK) | 113-98 W @ MIL | 1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 |
| B.J. Boston (LAC) | Eric Bledsoe (LAC) | 0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 96-90 L vs. BKN | DNP – CD | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| P.J Washington (CHA) | 104-84 W @ MIN | DNP – Hyperextended Elbow | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Today in the NBA
5:00: Rockets (Wall) @ Nuggets (Murray)
7:30 (NBA TV): Jazz @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:00: 76ers (Maxey) @ Bulls
8:30: Celtics (Kanter) @ Mavericks (Cauley-Stein)
10:00: Hawks @ Suns (Booker)
10:30 (NBA TV): Lakers (Davis, Monk, Rondo)
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