Knicks Takeaways from Monday's 123-105 win vs. Cavs, including Julius Randle's big outing
Randle nets Knicks' first 30-point effort of season
By Nick Wojton | Nov 18 | 9:49PM
Nearly a week after being blown out by the Cavaliers, the Knicks returned the favor in a wire-to-wire, 123-105 win. >> Box Score
Five things to know from Monday's game
1) The Knicks didn't sweat much against the Cavaliers on Monday. After falling 108-87 to the Cavs just over a week ago which prompted an interesting press conference, the Knicks flew out of the gate and held a big lead throughout the game. At halftime, the Knicks had a 13-point lead and led by as much as 27 in the second half. Worth noting, the Cavs were without their top-player, Kevin Love due to a back injury.
2) Julius Randle's hot start and best game as a Knick was a big reason for the cruising win. He had a season-high 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting. It was the first 30-point game by a Knick this season. In less than 10 minutes to start the game, Randle already notched 15 points and at halftime was already up to 23 points. His previous season-high was 25 points in an entire outing. Randle also added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. As a team, the Knicks had 11 offensive rebounds and forced nine turnovers in the first quarter, helping the fast start as well.
3) Defensively the Knicks struggled to defend the three-ball from the Cavs early. Cleveland was 9-for-15 from beyond the three-point line in the first half. Kevin Porter Jr. and Jordan Clarkson were 3-for-6 and 3-for-5 shooting from three for the Cavs in the game, respectively. In the second half, the Knicks tightened up against the deep ball a bit, helping them build their lead. Cleveland finished the game 17-for-36 (.472) from beyond the three-point line in the game, though.
4) On the bright side on defense, Mitchell Robinson paced the Knicks with four blocks, which was three more than the entire Cavs team, another big difference in the Knicks' win. As a team, New York had 10 total blocks while Cleveland only successfully swatted one ball away. Also notching multiple blocks for the Knicks were RJ Barrett (2) and Marcus Morris (2).
5) Along with Randle, Morris and Barrett both hit double-digit points with 23 and 15 in the game, respectively. Morris has hit double figures in his last eight of nine games while Barrett has in three of his last four. Against the Cavs, both Morris and Barrett were 5-for-13 from the field. Off the bench, Damyean Dotson also added 11 points, his season-high, on 5-for-10 shooting in 18 minutes played.
Highlights
Julius is cookin' 😮
- Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 19, 2019
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/LIjGCvy4Fu
Oh it's so pretty @RjBarrett6
- Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 19, 2019
(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/VwAfIELxTw
What's next
The Knicks head back on the road for a trip to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. against the 76ers.