Julius Randle Happy With Knicks’ Resiliency vs. Embiid, Sixers

New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle was a lone standout during the first-quarter matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Playing the entire quarter, Randle

New York Knicks All-Star Julius Randle was a lone standout during the first-quarter matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Playing the entire quarter, Randle knocked down four of his nine shots and hit on all four of his free throws to produce half of New York’s 24-points in the first quarter.

While Randle’s first-quarter performance kept the Knicks in the game, it was clear Philadelphia had control of the matchup, as they led by as many as 21 points in the first quarter.

Randle had a quiet second quarter, but his teammates did an excellent job by helping outscore the Sixers 27-18 before halftime and getting the game within one possession.

The two teams went back and forth in the second half, engaging in a tight matchup that teased a potential nail-biter that would come down to the wire. But the Knicks started to pull away in the fourth quarter. With six threes, and 47 percent shooting from the field, the Knicks outscored the Sixers 32-18 in the fourth. Overall, they wrapped up the second half by outscoring the Sixers by 13 points.

Despite leading by over 20 points in the first quarter, the Sixers dropped Sunday’s game 108-97.

"It was great,” said Randle regarding the Knicks’ resilience in the second half. “I think the biggest difference between last night and tonight, obviously, we felt like we could have won last night as well, but tonight was just our defense. We were able to buckle down and get stops. It feels great. Yesterday we came up short, and for us to come back today and compete the way we did says a lot about the character of our team."

Taking down the third-seeded Sixers for the second time in three games was a statement win for Randle and the Knicks. With that victory, the Knicks improved their record to 29-26. 

"It's always a battle when you play those guys,” said Randle, pertaining to the Sixers. “Joel presents a big challenge, and James creating and making plays for everybody, so it was a big win for us."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.