Jalen Brunson’s initial response upon witnessing Julius Randle’s terrifying injury, Knicks
Though forward Julius Randle was sidelined due to a dislocated shoulder, the New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 125-109 on Saturday.
Jalen Brunson, a guard for the Knicks, responded to the injury as follows, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post:
“It was an oh shit,” was Jaleen Brunson’s response upon witnessing Julius Randle suffer an injury.
With four and a half minutes remaining in the game, New York led Miami 115-95. Driving toward the rim, Randle collided with a defender and fell hard. The Knicks star then walked off the court with his shoulder held:
The Knicks’ winning run now stands at six games after their victory over the Heat. After the victory, New York’s record is now 29–17, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference of the NBA. If the playoffs began today, the Knicks would have home court advantage in the first round.
Randle finished Saturday’s game with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Randle currently leads the team in average points scored (24.1), rebounds (9.2), and assists (5.0) per game. After Jalen Brunson, he is the second-leading scorer for the Knicks.
Long-term loss of Randle’s services would be detrimental to New York, but fans of the Knicks have cause for hope because of their depth. Since being acquired, OG Anunoby has emerged as the Knicks’ much-needed, dependable two-way wing. With two steals, 19 points, and a 40% three-point shooting percentage, he concluded the game against Miami.
In the victory, Brunson finished with 32 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
The focus of Knicks supporters now centers on Randle’s injury sustained on Saturday afternoon and how much time, if any, he will miss.
With a flourish, Isaiah Hartenstein rejoins the Knicks starting lineup.
By Mark W. Sanchez’s Social Media Links
The Knicks were happy to have won and, more significantly, to have a key player return.
Following a rare two-game absence, Isaiah Hartenstein made a triumphant return to the court as the Knicks defeated the Heat 125-109 at the Garden on Saturday.
After spending a little time on the bench, Hartenstein obviously gained strength as he finished with four points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.
The center had participated in 164 games in a row and all of the Knicks’ games since joining the team the previous season before suffering from Achilles tendinopathy and missing games against the Nets and Nuggets.
The same left Achilles hindered Hartenstein last season, but he persevered.
Tom Thibodeau stated prior to the game that Hartenstein might have to deal with this injury.
The head coach remarked, “Almost every player is dealing with something right now where you are in the season.” “But we’re not going to expose him to danger.”
When forced into action, Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa performed admirably.
Since Mitchell Robinson has been sidelined since early December due to ankle surgery, the Knicks’ depth at center has proven to be an asset.
Robinson’s return schedule is still unknown.
Achiuwa rose to the occasion on Saturday, playing 31 minutes and battling Bam Adebayo underneath the entire time.
In the end, Achiuwa recorded four points, ten rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
He was a plus-19 overall and appeared to be growing more at ease with his new team.
Thibodeau on the recent NBA outburst that saw Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns score 62, Joel Embiid score 70, and Luka Doncic score 73: “The shotmaking that is being done is pretty amazing. It’s exciting, in my opinion, but there is a catch: all of the rule changes have favored the offense.
That was presumably more the other way around in the 1990s, but they fixed that. I therefore enjoy watching a well-balanced game with excellent defense and offense. That, in my opinion, is what makes the postseason thrilling because it appears like more defense is being played.
