On Saturday night, the New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 121-105 to win their fourth straight game. Julius Randle scored 39 points, Jalen Brunson added 33, and the team won.
The Knicks (21-15), fresh off an outstanding 128-92 victory against Philadelphia on Friday night, led the whole game and took a 60-34 lead late in the first half. This prompted the thousands of New York supporters in Washington to yell, "Let's go Knicks! Go Knicks!
“It was important to come out with energy, especially on a back-to-back,” Brunson said. “It’s fun whenever you’re winning..”
It's clear that Brunson and Randle like playing together.
“Collectively, we both have the same mindset,” Brunson said. “As long as we’re winning, we can get better the next day and keep going from there.”
With 39 points, Randle fell two short of his season best. For the Knicks, Isaiah Hartenstein pulled down 19 rebounds.
“It was just not the pace. It was the all-around play,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Just being ready to play, playing with a lead, good defensive activity.”
Against clubs that are currently in losing positions, New York is 14-1.
“Don’t play with your food,” Randle said. “Take care of what you’re supposed to take care of and just keep improving. The basketball gods have a funny way of rewarding you or humbling you. We just try to approach every game the right way.”
Despite Kyle Kuzma's 27 points, the Wizards dropped their fourth straight game. Deni Avdija possessed 23.
The Knicks took advantage of the Wizards' 20 turnovers—two fewer than their season average—to score 23 points.
“We knew going in that they’re a very aggressive, a very physical team,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “I don’t think we came out anticipating that amount of force.”
Avdija and Kuzma combined for 19 points to help the Wizards (6-29) trim their lead to 74-69 with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter. The Wizards started the second half well.
“They were just playing zone, trying to junk the game up, trying to slow us down,” Randle said. “We weren’t executing.”
After Washington trimmed the advantage to five points in the third quarter, Thibodeau chastised his players and called three timeouts.
“I can’t repeat it. I can’t,” Brunson said when asked what Thibodeau told the team. “Be better.”
In the third quarter, New York defeated the Wizards 17–6, with Randle scoring eight points.
“There’s going to be runs in the game,” Thibodeau said. “They started the third on a run. Now that we gave them hope that they could get back into the game, which they did. I knew they play hard.”
Following two losses to Cleveland by a cumulative score of 63 points on Wednesday and Friday, the Wizards made their way back home.
Next up
Portland will host the Knicks on Tuesday.
Wizards: On Monday, they host Oklahoma City.