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The New York Knicks halted their losing streak at two Tuesday evening, as they breezed by the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena by a final score of 140-110.
Though the victory proved to be a full team effort for the Knickerbockers, it was Julius Randle who set the tone for the club early, as he was directly responsible for 12 of New York’s first 16 points through the first four minutes of action, knocking down four of his first five shot attempts, all of which came from beyond the arc.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, the big man found himself sporting arguably his most efficient stat line of the young season, particularly in the shooting department where he went 14 of 24 from the field (58.3%) and 6 of 13 from distance (46.2%).
With his long-range shooting performance, Randle managed to etch himself into the history books for the Knicks franchise, as he passed Latrell Sprewell on the all-time 3-point field goals made list to crack the top-10 (10th overall) with 390 over his four-year tenure.
Through just shy of 31 minutes played, Randle went on to finish with a stupendous log line of 36 points (game-high), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.
Knicks’ Big Three Showed Out
As noted, the Knicks’ 30-point route over the Detroit Pistons was an all-around team endeavor for New York, as they saw five players drop 15 or more points on the night, ten who dropped six or more, and, as a collective, shot 56.3% from the floor and 45.7% from deep.
Of course, the team’s big three of Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson were all part of the group that scored over the 15-point mark, as they combined for a whopping 68 points to go along with 13 assists and 12 rebounds on 55.8% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc.
With Tuesday’s win, the Knicks are now 9-3 when this trio scores 15 or more points and are 3-0 against the Pistons this season.
Truth Bomb Dropped on Knicks’ Offense
Despite the team’s recent escapades and overall triumph against the Pistons, in a November 29 episode of Heavy on Sports Postin’ Up with Keith Smith and Adam Taylor podcast, Taylor took a shot at the Knicks’ offensive production through their first 21 games played, and noted that, while they have several solid offensive talents, the fit of said players just doesn’t seem to work.
“You went for too many ball-handling scorers, rather than guys that can play off the ball,” Taylor said. “There’s not a three-and-d guy. And (there’s) no Sam Hauser, Duncan Robinson type guy out there that can just be a catch-and-shoot threat for you.
“So now it’s like, hey, we’re going to keep firing passes to guys to shoot threes, but they’re not in the rhythm because they’re taking threes outside of their skill set.”
With their current assortment of ballers, the Knicks have proven to be one of the most underwhelming shooting teams in the association, as they find themselves ranking 22nd in true shooting percentage (56%) and 28th in 3-point percentage (32.3%).
Of those who are slotting into the rotation on a regular basis this season, New York’s top trio of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson find themselves leading the team in 3-point attempts per game, with Randle leading the bunch in conversion percentage at just 34.3%.
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