Julius Randle Scores 34 to Lead Knicks Past Dennis Schroder, Lakers
The New York Knicks look like a playoff team.
New York defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-96 in Monday's showdown at Madison Square Garden and improved to 28-27 in the process. Julius Randle led the way for the Knicks, who have now won three in a row as they move closer to their first postseason appearance since 2013.
A solid showing from Dennis Schroder in the absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis was not enough for the Lakers, who fell to 33-21 and are just 5-8 in their last 13 games.
Notable Player Stats
- Julius Randle, F, NYK: 34 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
- Elfrid Payton, G, NYK: 20 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST
- Dennis Schroder, G, LAL: 21 PTS, 6 AST, 3 REB
- Markieff Morris, F, LAL: 17 PTS, 4 AST, 2 REB
Motivated Julius Randle Torches Former Team
It appeared as if the Knicks were in danger of falling out of even play-in tournament position when they went 1-5 during a six-game stretch prior to the key three-game homestand that ended against the Lakers.
Then they took care of business at Madison Square Garden against the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors with Randle and RJ Barrett leading the way to set up an opportunity for a perfect homestand with a win over the Lakers.
Randle was ready.
He hit from the outside, drew contact and got to his spot in the mid-range on his way to 19 first-half points. His production against his former team helped make up for Barrett's scoreless half, as did Derrick Rose providing a spark off the bench and Taj Gibson turning back the clock in his minutes by battling in the paint and for boards.
While Randle continued to lead the charge as New York pushed its advantage to double digits in the second half, it was far from a solo effort. Reggie Bullock hit multiple threes early in the third quarter, Elfrid Payton was effective as a secondary scorer and Nerlens Noel added solid interior defense.
Yet it was Randle who proved the most unstoppable, which was no surprise considering he said he is "always" motivated to face the team that drafted him, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
It was fitting, then, when he put the game away in crunch time with a critical and-1 to end the Lakers' brief momentum and eight points in the final five minutes.
Lakers Offense Went Missing as Knicks Pulled Away
The biggest storyline from a Lakers perspective for every game without James and Davis is who is going to take over the role of go-to scorer.
A different player led the team in points in each of the previous five games (Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond), underscoring both the positive reality there is enough depth to at least compete without the stars and the negative reality that there isn't a clear-cut option to carry the team in crunch time.
It was Schroder and Markieff Morris who took the lead in the early going against the Knicks.
The former darted past New York defenders while attacking the lane and poured in 17 points by halftime. The latter caught fire from three and took advantage of the space created when the Knicks started to collapse on Schroder and others.
However, Los Angeles managed a grand total of 16 points in the third quarter as it fell behind by double digits.
Kuzma provided some scoring amid the overall offensive woes, but he struggled to contain anyone on defense. He had particular issues with Randle and finished with an ugly plus-minus of minus-26, which was the worst on a team that turned it over 24 times.
It also didn't help that Harrell and Drummond combined for three points on the inside as New York shifted additional defensive attention their way. The Purple and Gold made a run to cut the deficit to five in the fourth quarter, but they didn't have anyone to counter Randle with the game on the line.
What's Next?
Both teams are on the road for their next game when the Lakers face the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday and the Knicks play the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
