Knicks at Pelicans: RJ Barrett Returns to Starting Lineup

Starting five staple RJ Barrett returned to the New York Knicks' roster for their penultimate game of the regular season.

USA TODAY SPORTS

The New York Knicks welcomed back RJ Barrett to their starting lineup after a two-game absence on Friday night when they battled the New Orleans Pelicans.

Barrett, averaging 19.5 points over 71 appearances this season, sat out of the prior two games with an illness and it might've been no surprise to see him held out of a third. Unable to move up or down the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, the Knicks (47-33) will remain stationed in the No. 5 seed to play Cleveland no matter what they do over their final regular season hours. 

Barrett's fellow starters Jalen Brunson (hand maintenance) and Mitchell Robinson (rest) were each held out for trivial reasons as they seek to stay as healthy as possible while seeking their first playoff series victory since 2013. Another regular starter, Julius Randle, is already confirmed to be missing the rest of the regular season with an ankle injury and his status for Game 1 against Cleveland is unclear.

But the Knicks, in a direct contrast to the Dallas Mavericks' approach to the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, opted to showcase a little star power by putting Barrett in against the Pelicans. Barrett made up for lost time with a busy first quarter, shooting 2-of-8 from the field and dishing out three assists.

The Knicks led New Orleans 30-27 after the first quarter. Half of their tallies were earned by Immanuel Quickley. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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