46 and the City: Knicks' Win in Washington Paced By Randle's Career-Tying Showcase

The New York Knicks erased an early deficit thanks to a personal best showing from Julius Randle.

The NBA All-Star Game has come and gone but Julius Randle provided one final reminder of why he was granted his second exhibition entry.

In the New York Knicks' return from hardwood vacation, Randle tied a career-best in scoring en route to a 115-109 victory over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Friday night. 

Randle put in 46 in the win, matching his personal best set last March. His onslaught allowed the Knicks to erase an early deficit that reached as high as 19 in the first half before the teams were never separated by more than six over the latter 24 minutes. Ironically, three-pointers were a big part of Randle's showcase, sinking seven after he placed seventh in the 3-Point Contest in Salt Lake City last weekend. 

New York (34-27) is now a season-best seven games over .500 and took home its sixth win over the last seven games. The Knicks are also 4-0 since Josh Hart came over in a trade deadline deal with Portland

Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porziņģis each led Friday's hosts with 23 points each. The latter, a former All-Star in New York, had 19 in the first quarter alone with the tune of five triples but scored only four the rest of the way. New York and Washington (28-31) are set for one more meeting on April 2 in Manhattan.

Though the Knicks received further good news with the subsequent losses for both Brooklyn and Miami, they have little time to savor the victory: the return to New York for immediate further action on Saturday night as the New Orleans Pelicans visit Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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