Julius Randle emphasized that the Knicks “definitely have to take advantage” of the fact that NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal was not playing for the Wizards on Friday night.
Randle, a potential All-Star striker, was back on track after one of his worst offensive games of the season, with 24 points and 18 rebounds, the best of the season, leading the Knicks to a 109-91 victory in Washington.
The victory came at a price, however, as center back Mitchell Robinson fractured his right hand at the end of the second period after registering a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in less than 20 minutes of play.
“We feel sorry for him, but we have to prepare for the next one. As you know, the games keep coming, ”said coach Tom Thibodeau of Robinson, who will be re-evaluated on Saturday in New York. “I thought Nerlens [Noel] stepped in and did a great job in the second half, and that’s the great value of having a guy like Taj [Gibson] on the list.
“So, next man. We need to get around the cars and be ready to go. “
Derrick Rose contributed 14 points and six assists with four steals in 20 minutes off the bench in his second return game with the Knicks (12-15) after being acquired on Pistons Sunday. Newcomer Immanuel Quickley scored 16 points and Elfrid Payton finished with 12.
The Wizards’ Russell Westbrook finished off a rebound less than a triple-double – 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds – in the absence of Beal, who leads the NBA with 32.8 points per game.
The Knicks are eyeing Beal as a possible commercial target. They are also looking at Rockets star Victor Oladipo, who is also expected to miss Saturday’s game against Knicks at the Garden because of a foot and ankle injury.
“We know we just have to go out and play our game,” said Rose. “We know that with the guys who are taking their place, this is a professional league, everyone is here for a reason.
“So if we go out and match their intensity, we play the way we know how to play, we will be in almost every game. … If we go out and do what we should do, we know it will be in our favor, if we go out and play as much as we can. “
Robinson totaled four dunks and grabbed seven rebounds in the first quarter, which ended with the Knicks with a 30-23 lead.
Rose and Quickley combined for six points off the bench at the start of the second quarter, and Rose launched an entry feed for Obi Toppin (eight points) for a dunk for a 40-31 lead just four minutes after the start of the session.
Rose also found Randle for material a few minutes later for a 45-34 lead. Randle suffered his worst pitching game of the season (4 of 18) and scored just 12 points in Tuesday’s loss in Miami.
Without Robinson after the break, the Knicks’ holders were defeated by 13-5 to open the third and reduce the gap advantage from 53-42 to three. But they closed the quarter with a 9-0 streak – including a late three-point play by Randle – for a 79-64 lead in the fourth game.
“I thought we started well and then we were a little sloppy. I thought our bank gave us great minutes in the first half. More or less, we have control there, ”said Thibodeau. “We did not close the second quarter well, and the third was a little hectic. And the bank came back, and it kind of put us into action again. “