BBNBA: Julius Randle puts on a show at the Garden, leads Knicks to victory
Perhaps the most coveted item on Broadway right now is a ticket to watch Julius Randle play basketball.
Randle has been racking up the performances as of late, recording at least 18 points in his last five outings. His most recent showdown against the Atlanta Hawks saw Randle lead all scorers with 34 points in a 113-89 win for the New York Knicks.
After dropping a season-high 36 points over a week ago, Randle kept his hot hand going on Wednesday night. The trey ball was falling for him in Madison Square Garden, which is always a good sign for the 28-year-old. Randle splashed six 3-pointers in New York’s comfortable win against Atlanta. Randle’s shooting 33.7% from beyond the arc this season, which is slightly % higher than his career percentage.
If the 34 points in 33 minutes weren’t enough, Randle was impressive off the glass, too. His 17 rebounds capped off a monster double-double in New York’s win. Not only did Randle outscore anyone in The Big Apple last night, but he outrebounded everyone as well — by a pretty considerable margin. The closest rebounder to Randle was Atlanta’s Clint Capela who had 11.
Randle is balling this season, averaging 21.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG. The Knicks climbed to one game below .500 with the win over Atlanta, sitting at 12-13 on the year. Randle’s numbers should have him in All-Star consideration, but the bigger picture shows the potential of a loaded Knicks roster.
If Randle can keep this up and the rest of their youthful and talented squad — which includes the likes of RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Obi Toppin — can heat up, look out. Speaking of young guns, Immanuel Quickley added eight points in 25 minutes in New York’s win. Quickley continues to be a scoring option for the Knicks, but not a primary one.
No free dubs
It was a rough night for the BBNBA on Wednesday with only three ex-Wildcats pulling out a win. Other than the Knicks, the Utah Jazz was the only victorious squad that had a member of the BBNBA in action. Jarred Vanderbilt‘s quiet night with four points in 23 minutes was enough for the Jazz to win 124-123 against the Golden State Warriors in an unbelievable fashion.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns were embarrassed at home by the Boston Celtics, 125-98. Devin Booker contributed with 17 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The Sacramento Kings also lost 126-113 in Milwaukee to the Bucks despite Malik Monk‘s 16 points and De’Aaron Fox‘s 15 points. While it may have not been his best performance of the year, Fox was able to re-write some history books. He became Sacramento’s second all-time assist leader after passing Mitch Richmond.
Lastly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept his breakout season afloat with 26 points and seven assists in a 123-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Oklahoma City Thunder fall to 11-14 on the year with the defeat, but SGA continues to be on a tear. The former Wildcat is averaging 31.1 PPG in a monstrous campaign where he’s played in 23 of OKC’s 35 games.
Other BBNBA action
- Isaiah Jackson had four points in the Indiana Pacers’ 121-115 loss at Minnesota to the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns is still sidelined due to a calf injury for the Wolves.
- PJ Washington dropped 12 points while Nick Richards added just two in the Charlotte Hornets’ 122-116 loss at Brooklyn. The Hornets continue to plunge toward the bottom with a 7-18 record.
- Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox II combined for three points in Detroit’s 104-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Detroit’s woes continue with the franchise dropping to 7-20 on the year.
12/7/22 BBNBA statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 113-89 W vs. ATL | 34 | 10-19 (6-12) | 17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +29 | 33 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 123-102 L @ MEM | 26 | 4-14 (1-4) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -12 | 33 |
| Devin Booker (PHO) | 125-98 L vs. BOS | 17 | 6-17 (1-6) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -40 | 24 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 126-113 L @ MIL | 16 | 7-19 (1-7) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 28 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 126-113 L @ MIL | 15 | 5-16 (1-6) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 32 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 122-116 L @ BKN | 12 | 5-13 (1-4) | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +2 | 30 |
| Immanuel Quickly (NYK) | 113-89 W vs. ATL | 8 | 2-8 (1-2) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | +7 | 25 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA) | 124-123 W vs. GSW | 4 | 2-3 (0-0) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 23 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 121-115 L @ MIN | 4 | 1-2 (0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -15 | 12 |
| Kevin Knox II (DET) | 104-98 L @ NOP | 3 | 1-6 (1-5) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -8 | 15 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 122-116 L @ BKN | 2 | 1-1 (0-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -19 | 9 |
| Hamidou Diallo (DET) | 104-98 L @ NOP | 0 | 0-1 (0-0) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 126-113 L @ MIL | 0 | 0-3 (0-1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 126-113 L @ TOR | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 126-113 L @ TOR | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| John Wall (LAC) | 116-111 L @ ORL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 116-111 L @ ORL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 121-115 W vs. IND | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nerlens Noel (DET) | 104-98 L @ NOP | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:30 (NBA TV): Clippers (Boston Jr., Wall) @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
8:30: Rockets @ Spurs (Johnson)
10:00 (NBA TV): Nuggets (Murray) @ Trail Blazers (Sharpe)
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