Julius Randle was fined $ 15,000 by the NBA, then tried to score 15,000 points on the Wizards.
Randle brought out any lasting frustration of the referee on Tuesday in Washington, at Garden, while he won 37 points, making 7 of 10 triples, while the Knicks threw the wizards, 131-113. Randle’s seven 3s equaled a career high.
The All-Star striker, who was penalized for his inflammatory remarks about the referee in Knicks’ loss to Philly on Sunday, is the main reason the Knicks are 22-22, already surpassing last season’s win.
“The statement that victory was the most important thing,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Randle. “It simply came to our notice then. Let’s go back to a hard loss and the way we lost the game, that’s what the leaders do. ”
Randle, who has not missed a game this season, shot 13 of 24 off the field, while the Knicks won a blast from one wire to another.
On Thursday, he confronts the wizards in the garden again. With another victory, Knicks would have schooled Las Vegas, which had Over / Under for victories at 22 ½.
Randle had 35 points in the middle of the third quarter, hitting all three youngsters in Washington by 3 points, including the Israeli team Deni Avidja and Rui Hachimuru.
Thibodeau kept Randle for most of the fourth quarter, instead of rolling with rookie Obi Toppin, the Knicks lottery pick that’s in a crisis. Toppin played only eight minutes and was without a score for the fourth game in a row as Randle offered him a few words of consolation on the bench at the end of the contest.
The Knicks won a 69-49 lead at the break, and Randle won 21 points, scoring 8 of 14 shots, hitting 3 of 4 from the 3-point line.
Center Mitchell Robinson, in the second back game after hand surgery, scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks. RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Alec Burks added 20.
Starting guard Elfrid Payton returned from a four-game absence with a hamstring stalk. He left a high pass in the alley for Robinson, who jumped into the Garden ceiling for the monster.
Before the game, Robinson admitted that it would take a little longer.
“I just have to get back in shape, like the shape of the game,” he said. “I ran a lot. I just need to get back to myself in the form of a game. But it felt great, coming back there with the boys. ”