Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson combine for 66 points as Knicks defeat Bulls
Knicks forward Julius Randle shoots over Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan for a basket in the second half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
As the Knicks have begun to settle the pieces into place following the major trade that shook the franchise, the fit and function for OG Anunoby has been weighed in relation to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle and even the impact down the roster as the guard-heavy roster has seen its minutes crunch alleviated.
But every night isn’t going to be a magical one for Anunoby with the Garden crowd cheering his every move as they did in his debut Monday. Most nights it will be Randle and Brunson carrying the load and they did that Wednesday, combining for 66 points to help the Knicks to a 116-100 win over the Bulls.
Randle led the Knicks with 35 points and Brunson had 31 points and 13 assists. But perhaps less heralded, Isaiah Hartenstein has proved to be a huge piece to any hopes the Knicks have of contending this season. Once again, Hartenstein provided a spark, setting a career high with 20 rebounds and matching a career best with five blocked shots.
“That I can play this role, that’s the biggest thing,” Hartenstein said. “I always had the confidence that I can really play it, but was never really in that situation. Before, yeah, I would finish games, but now I’m consistently playing 30-plus minutes. I feel like I can keep building on that. We do miss [Mitchell Robinson] a lot. I’m going to be happy when he comes back and we do have that two-punch that we’ve been having. That was special before. I’ve just got to keep going.”
When he left the game with just over a minute remaining with 10 points, he got an ovation from the Garden crowd.
“Big time,” Brunson said about Hartenstein after the game ended. “He’s been playing unbelievable … I expect more next game.
“He’s been playing phenomenal,” Brunson added. “He has been able to do that. Obviously with Mitch being out, his minutes increase and all that stuff, but he’s been great. So, we’re all happy for him. But we all knew that’s what he’s capable of.”
And while rumors already circulate about what the next move could be — an elite shooting guard as the star target for the Knicks’ front office or even a backup veteran point guard — perhaps there is no spot more important than the one getting the least attention.
The Knicks started the season with possibly the best center tandem in the NBA — not a Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid No. 1, but two players who anchor the team in different ways. But the future at the position is a less certain one.
Mitchell Robinson has shown to be injury-prone, possibly lost for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. And equally troubling, Hartenstein is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. As the Knicks take care of other pieces, he might be as important as any move they make. Like Immanuel Quickley before him, Hartenstein might be proving worthy of a big contract from a team in need of a starting center — a thought that he admitted has entered his mind.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Hartenstein said before the game. “I think it’s a normal thing in life. I would be lying if I said I never thought about it. The main thing right now is focusing on this season. I think through that everything will come to what I want to happen. I love New York. I feel like if we can both get to that agreement I would rather have that continuity and be here. That’s the main thing.”
He certainly did his part Wednesday on a night when little seemed to be going right for the Knicks early. The Bulls arrived on the second night of a back-to-back set, having lost in Philadelphia Tuesday, but in the first half it would be hard to guess that they were the team playing on tired legs.
The Knicks began the game looking as if they would run the Bulls out of the arena, the newly constructed starting lineup moving the ball unselfishly and taking a 7-0 lead. After a 5-for-23 shooting performance Monday, Brunson came out on fire, shooting 5-for-5 in the first quarter for 13 points. But the lead was down to 26-24 at the end of the first quarter with alarming signs.
The problem was not shooting, although that wasn’t great, or defense, which also was a struggle. The Knicks just were plain sloppy. They turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, many unforced and some just comical, like Josh Hart throwing a ball nearly to the East Side of Manhattan. At one point the Knicks turned the ball over on three straight possessions and at the half they trailed 55-51.
Back-to-back threes by Donte DiVincenzo and Anunoby tied the score at 57 and Randle gave the Knicks the lead with a tough bucket in traffic at the rim. Randle scored 11 points in the third quarter on 5-for-6 shooting, but it still took more than that.
After a second-unit implosion in the first half when Tom Thibodeau tried to pair Randle with four bench players, he kept the starters on the floor longer in the third quarter and got contributions from all parties.
Hartenstein had 16 rebounds through three quarters to go along with five blocks. He swatted a Patrick Williams drive midway through the quarter, leading to a fast-break finish for Randle.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
