Julius Randle Seemingly Criticizes Knicks’ Effort After Game 4 Loss

Randle was ready with the straight talk after New York fell into a 3–1 series hole.

With a 109–101 loss to the Heat in Game 4 on Monday, the Knicks have seen their season reach the brink with a 3–1 series hole. After the game, star forward Julius Randle didn’t mince words when asked about the performance—particularly on the rebounding front.

“Maybe they want it more, I don’t know,” Randle said when asked about Miami’s Game 4 rebounding advantage. “That’s been who we are all year, and we’ve got to find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive.” 

"Maybe they want it more. I don't know. That's who we've been all year and we've gotta find a way to step up and make those plays if we want to keep this season alive"

- Julius Randle on the Heat being the team to come up with offensive rebounds and loose balls pic.twitter.com/wqaJpoAcpj

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 9, 2023

The Heat outrebounded the Knicks, 44–35, on Monday night, with Randle grabbing nine in 39 minutes. He also scored 20 points with six assists but fouled out and had six turnovers. Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who pulled in 18 rebounds during New York’s series-clinching Game 5 win in the first round, has only 17 boards in the last three games. 

Miami center Bam Adebayo spearheaded his team’s paint production Monday, notching 23 points with a team-high 13 boards.

The Knicks ranked second in the league in rebound rate (52.4%) during the regular season, but have lost the rebound battle in each of the last two games. Randle missed Game 1 of the series but has returned for the last three, averaging 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.

The series returns to Madison Square Garden for Wednesday’s Game 5, which will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.