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'Got to Grab Him': Knicks Have Regrets in Julius Randle's Early Exit

Julius Randle was highly displeased with a lack of a call as the New York Knicks built a healthy lead over Sacramento.

Geoff Magliocchetti

A pair of quick technical fouls removed leading scorer Julius Randle from the New York Knicks' Sunday showdown with the Sacramento Kings. 

Ejected during third quarter action, Randle helped the Knicks build a lead that reached as high as 21 over the first three periods with a game-best 27 points.

With the Knicks holding an 85-68 lead, Randle looked to extend the lead with a drive to the basket but fell to the hardwood after some physical defense from Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis. After Sacramento scored on the other end, Randle used the Knicks' next possession to chastise officials, namely Robert Hussey, for a lack of a foul call. Hussey stopped play to assess Randle a technical and a second followed when Randle kept it up during the dead-ball period. 

Randle's early exit prevented him from building upon his streak of 30-point games, one that seemed poised to reach three after he earned all 27 of his weekend-closing tally in the first half alone. Despite the removal of Randle ... as well as Jalen Brunson ... the Knicks (14-13) were able to handle business, keeping the Kings at bay in what became a 112-99 final. 

The one-sided nature of Sunday's game likely pacified Tom Thibodeau's response, but the Knicks head coach partly understood Randle's outburst.

"I get the frustration. It was a physical game and he got hammered on the play," Thibodeau said, per the New York Daily News. "(But) he had a great game going. We can’t let (ourselves) get us sidetracked. There are going to be some miscalls. That’s part of it, just keep competing."

Randle has been on a scoring tear as the holidays approach, averaging 27.2 points in five December games. It didn't take long for Randle to leave his mark on Sunday's contest, scoring 17 alone in the first period alone as the Knicks took a 36-22 lead on the surging Kings (14-11). 

Thibodeau appeared to be more upset at Randle's teammates for failing to act or intervene when Randle appeared more focused on arguing with Hussey than on the ongoing action. Brunson approached Randle as he went to give Hussey's striped companions, Matt Boland and Marc Davis, a piece of his mind, but by then it was too late: Randle was charged with a second infraction and was sent to the showers with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter.  

"When a guy gets frustrated, we got to make sure (we) help,” Thibodeau said. "When he got the first tech, we have to do a better job of helping him walk away, as a team, staff, all of us ... Go grab him. It’s a dead-ball.”

With both Randle and Brunson in the locker room under different circumstances, RJ Barrett took over the bulk of production for the Knicks. He scored nine points, pulled in four rebounds, and blocked two shots from the point of Randle's departure to help create New York's final margin. 

Barrett was on the bench at the time of the incident and regretted that he was unable to keep Randle out of trouble in the aftermath.

"We’ve got to go grab him,” Barrett, who eventually tied Randle's game-leading point tally at 27, said. “I would have grabbed him if I was in there. We’ve got to grab him, can’t let him get another one.”

With Brunson potentially sidelined for the Knicks' immediate future, Randle will likely be called upon to keep up his heightened scoring prowess. That journey begins on Wednesday night when the Knicks face the Chicago Bulls at United Center (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN). 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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