Julius Randle joins the likes of Allan Houston and Carmelo Anthony on the list of New York Knicks players who have dominated the Miami Heat on the floor that they call home.
This whole sequence is a work of art, beginning with the almost Herro-ic moment and ending with Mike Breen branding Randle with the rare double “bang” for his game-winning shot. Everything about it is creative. Randle concluded the game with 46 points and was a major contributor to the Knicks’ eighth consecutive victory. During the season, there has been some reluctance on the part of Knicks supporters to enjoy their team’s recent success, but today marked a turning point in that mindset. The Bing Bong sound is making a comeback.
The New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets both share the title of having the best record in the NBA during the previous 41 games, with a history of 30-11. They presently hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and are just one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the race for the right to host the first round of the playoffs in their arena.
The Miami Hurricanes are presently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-31 after losing six of their last seven games. They trail the Brooklyn Nets for an automatic berth in the playoffs by only two games at this point in the season.
In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets got revenge for their defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies in a game that was close the whole way through. They could triumph against the Grizzlies in Denver because of Nikola Jokic’s effort, which included a triple-double.
The reigning two-time MVP had an unremarkable stat line of 18-18-10 as he dismantled a Memphis defense that had limited him to a shooting percentage of 5-for-12 in the last meeting between the two teams. With a record of 45-19, the Nuggets have firmly established themselves as the team to beat in the Western Conference. This puts them six games ahead of the Grizzlies.
Big-time baller
After suffering a 46-point loss, Julius Randle is the player who must get today’s awards. In addition, he pulled down nine boards and made eight triples while shooting 16-of-25 from the field.
De’Aaron Fox is also deserving of part of the spotlight. He contributed 33 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists as the Kings won their sixth game under his leadership. That was his eighth straight game in which he scored at least 30 points, and the Kings needed every one of those points to eke out a victory against the Clippers.
With a 20-45, Charlotte has the fourth-worst record in the league. Injuries and other off-court troubles have plagued them throughout the season, but their bad luck might soon pay off for them in the form of Scoot Henderson or Victor Wembanyama.
