From the 2021 playoff series and Trae Young’s air conditioning in the basketball mecca, thehe matches between Atlanta and New York are always highly anticipated, especially those at Madison Square Garden. But tonight, there’s no way the hairy point guard is going to steal anyone’s show, and it’s Julius Randle who made sure of that.
Surely, we will never know what to expect from these Knicks. Sometimes terrible like against OKC, where the New Yorkers still conceded 145 pawns… without overtime, sometimes very solid, like Sunday against Cleveland where Tom Thibodeau’s boys managed to block the Cavs. The match of the day was supposed to be of particular importance given the now-established rivalry between New York and the Hawks of Trae Young, aka Reggie Miller 2.0 in the Garden, and thankfully the Knicks had a good day.
Extreme provocation (if it were still needed): Trae arrives in his garden with “King of Broadway” decollete in the colors… of the Knicks.
Julius Randle immediately got angry and laid the foundation: 13 points in the first quarter, while the Hawks only scored 20. New York quickly took an 11-point lead and quietly took control of the game. The gap even rises to 18 points at the start of QT2, tough for the Falcons with too clumsy Trae Young. Alongside him on tip-off, Dejounte Murray, for his part, had to return to the dressing room very soon after receiving a shot straight to the feet from RJ Barrett. But Atlanta hangs on and starts a comeback midway through the second quarter. The weak points of Thibodeau’s men return and in less than 5 minutes the Georgians are back to a small point… all this to take the backlash and regain 12 counter-attack pawns.
Trae Young wearing “King of Broadway” kicks MSG tonight 👟 pic.twitter.com/385SJnlmSK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2022
This time it’s over and the Hawks will never see their opponents again. Julius Randle is huge in the third quarter, scoring 19 of the Big Apple boys’ 36 points to close out the game. And at the end of the match, the box score doesn’t lie: 34 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists with 6 bombinette sent from the parking lot and a +/- for the less sympathetic of +29. Well supported by Quentin Grimes (23 points, 8/11 shooting of which 5/7 from distance), Don Julius allows the Knicks to win a game that was certainly close to their heart… and to send home a Trae Young who will only have the best valve of the game for his palmarès.
🔥 19 PTS in the third quarter
🔥 32 PTS and above tonight…Julius Randle is BALLING on ESPN pic.twitter.com/p5E6lqopCm
—NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2022
Important victory for New York, and it’s nice to find Julius more admired than booed in the stands of Madison Square Garden. The real mission of Tom Thibodeau and his Knicks now: to guarantee continuity in the game and in the results. He starts with a confirmation Friday in Charlotte, hoping that the Knicks are not strawberries. Report to Charlotte, that’s all.
Source Image: Twitter Bleacher Report
