The New York Knicks opened Sunday morning with a hard-fought 102-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, ending a three-game losing streak.
RJ Barrett led the New Yorkers with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists, including a perfect 7 of 7 free throw shooting; seconded by the best version of Julius Randle, who put his ego aside to contribute 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Knicks hoard a favorable 3-1 this season when RJ Barrett and Randle contribute at least 20 points each. In addition, they have obtained a 7-2 when the Canadian adds at least 25 points.
“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything so far. That’s my mindset. I’m hungry for more. I want more for the team, but also for myself,” Barrett told a news conference.
In the Clippers, the most outstanding was a Reggie Jackson who was in charge of keeping his team in the clash. The base was fantastic with 26 points, 5 assists and 4 of 8 in triples. Along with him, Ivica Zubac drove the interiors of the Knicks crazy with 17 points and 14 rebounds; and important was the role of reserves Luke Kennard and Boston Jr. with 14 and 13 points respectively.
As for the clash, Tom Thibodeau’s men were never behind in the electronics and maintained a constant income between eight and ten points difference between the third and last period. In addition, Barrett would star in the decisive action by putting a stopper on Zubac with just 51 seconds left to go.
Other highlights of the Knickerbockers they were Frenchman Evan Fournier with 14 points and 4 of 8 triples; and his partner backcourt Alec Burks with 10. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the Knicks came out very plugged in from the initial jump with a 31-39 start at the end of the first quarter with an 8 of 11 triples.
Robinson falls injured
When Mitchell Robinson was being more incisive, injuries returned to the young insider of the Knicks, who had to leave the game early in the second period after suffering a sprained ankle. Until then, he had 8 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in just a quarter of an hour of play.
Instead Nerlens Noel took his minutes, who returned to the parquet after overcoming some discomfort in his knee. The reserve center contributed 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.
Debut de Reddish
Cam Reddish finally made his Knicks debut after overcoming an ankle injury. The Garden crowd cheered their new player as he stepped onto the floor with just over six seconds left in the first quarter. The Duke forward did not have many minutes (there were 5), but he did star in a beautiful action to the hoop in his first action of the game.
(Cover photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)