New York Knicks forward Julius Randle exploded with a career-high 57 points in an upset loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Randle scored 26 of his points in the team’s comeback game in the third quarter to make the game competitive after the Knicks fell behind by 17. The 9-year veteran hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with less than three minutes to go. for the end. in the third and scored 52 points heading into the fourth.
RJ Barrett hit a 3-pointer to put the Knicks up by four with less than ten minutes left in the game, but the lead was short-lived. Randle could have sapped the energy from him by leading the comeback after finishing with just 5 points in the fourth.
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) reacts after fouling the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 20, 2023, in New York. . (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
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«It’s a shame to waste a performance like that,» Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game.
The Timberwolves were without their two stars, Karl-Anthony Townes and Anthony Edwards, through injury. Instead, Minnesota leaned on Taurean Prince’s season-high 35 points. Prince also went 8-8 from beyond the arc.
Randle overcame his shooting woes from beyond the arc before Monday’s loss to the Wolves. The former Kentucky Wildcat finished 8-14 from three after shooting a combined 11-54 from range in his last 6 games before Monday night.
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second half of a New York Knicks basketball game. the NBA, on Monday, March 20, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
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Julius Randle became the first Knicks player to score 50 points since Carmelo Anthony’s record 62-point night in the Garden on January 24, 2014.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince (12) reacts after scoring a three-point basket against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
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Only James Harden (61), Kobe Bryant (61) and Bernard King (60) trail Anthony for the most points scored in the world’s most famous stadium. While the Knicks sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, the T-Wolves are keeping their playoff hopes alive in seventh in the Western Conference standings.