How Julius Randle and Josh Hart helped lift the Knicks to key Game 1 win over Cavaliers

RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes shot a combined 3-for-21 on Saturday. Julius Randle shot 7-for-20. The Knicks missed 21 of their 29 three-point attempts. Jalen Brunson played just 29 minutes due to foul trouble.

And somehow, the Knicks found a way to steal Game 1 on the road of their first-round series against the Cavs.

Here’s how:

ALL HART

Josh Hart waited six years – and 372 NBA games – to play in the postseason. He made up for lost time on Saturday. Hart had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Cleveland. He made eight of his 11 shots, including a three-pointer with 1:49 to play to give the Knicks a two-point lead. He also had five offensive rebounds.

Hart’s intensity fit right in to the atmosphere at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s pickup, preseason, playoffs, he plays that way every single time. That’s just how he is, that’s how he’s wired,” Brunson said of his former college teammate.

Hart’s strong play helped the Knicks’ bench outscore Cleveland, 37-14. Like he has after many games this season, Tom Thibodeau referred to Hart a ‘playmaker’ after the Game 1 win.

“When I say playmaker, I’m not talking about the traditional sense of the pass. Playmaker is what the game needs,” Thibodeau said. “So, if you need a big shot, he’s gonna provide that. You need a big rebound, provide that. Need a stop defensively, provide that. Need a loose ball – that’s what he is. He’s a playmaker. He’s gonna make hustle plays, make tough plays. He’s a great competitor. And he just plays to win. There’s no agenda other than winning with him.”

A LIFT FROM JULIUS

Randle was questionable heading into Game 1. He’d missed two weeks due to a left ankle sprain. But after making steady progress in the last week of practice, Randle took the floor for Game 1.

His presence gave New York an immediate lift.

Randle hit five of his first eight shots and helped the Knicks weather a first-half that saw Brunson in foul trouble.

He missed 10 of his final 12 shots, but one of the makes was a three-pointer with under seven minutes to play that stalled a Cavs’ run and put the Knicks up 10.

“Julius played in 77 games until he sprained his ankle. He practiced every day. What you see in the games, what you see in practice — (you know you’re) gonna get whatever he has,” Thibodeau said.

Randle secured the biggest rebound of the game when he corralled a Brunson miss. He moved Evan Mobley out of the way to grab the rebound with 6.2 seconds to play and the Knicks up two.

Grimes then hit two free throws to seal the game.

Randle’s offensive rebound was the Knicks’ 18^th of the game. The Cavs had 11. Those extra possessions were key in a game where both teams shot under 44 percent from the floor.

“The rebounding was huge,” Thibodeau said. “Huge.”