Julius Randle became an All-Star last week. He became a winner Sunday in Detroit.
After six previous seasons being part of losing teams, Randle has spearheaded the Knicks to a winning record — achieved Sunday with a 109-90 rout of the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
The Knicks moved to 18-17 and hold fourth place in the bunched-up Eastern Conference. It’s the latest they’ve been over .500 in a season since the 54-win campaign of 2012-13.
“The reaction to the winning record, honestly in our locker room it’s expected,’’ said Randle, who racked up his usual gemstone numbers of 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. “I said all year, we feel like every time we go out we have a chance to win the game. I’m not really surprised where we’re at as a team. We have a certain level of focus on a night-to-night basis that gives us a shot every night.’’
The Knicks led by 11 at halftime before Randle punched the Pistons’ lights out with a brilliant 12-point third quarter. Randle finished 10 of 17 shooting as his bustout season roared on one night after dominating All-Star Domantas Sabonis of the Pacers.
With all his statistics, the best one may be having not missed a game, playing big minutes in all 35.
“I take pride in it,’’ said Randle, who averaged 40 minutes a game in the back-to-back. “I take pride in being durable. Being available for my team every night to go out and give an all-out effort.’’
The Knicks have two games left before the All-Star break — in San Antonio on Tuesday and hosting the Pistons in a rematch on Thursday. It’s safe to say they have a great shot at sliding into their week-long vacation with a winning record.
The Knicks have finished with a winning record just three times in the past 20 years, the worst stretch in their history.
“It’s a proud organization and I was here during the 90s but that doesn’t have anything to do with today,’’ said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, a former assistant in the 1990s. “So just like I wasn’t looking ahead I don’t want us looking behind and what happened in the past. I think it’s important to know the history of the organization, but our focus has to be exactly on what’s in front of us.’’
Randle had timely help from RJ Barrett, who weaved his second straight powerhouse game with 21 points (8 of 13). Last season, Randle and Barrett had little chemistry. That has all changed in this remarkable first season under Thibodeau.
And they blew out Detroit playing on the second night of a back-to-back, shorthanded, and winning for the seventh time in nine games.
“I think that’s the nature of the league,” Thibodeau said of sweeping the back-to-back. “Sometimes the schedule is in your favor, sometimes it’s against. The challenge is to be ready whenever you have to go. So back-to-back, travel, you get in late, the ball goes up, let’s be ready to roll. Just find a way to get it done. That’s what we did. That’s the type of mental toughness you need. I think we’re getting stronger and stronger.’’
Randle has already made more 3-pointers than he had all last season, going 3 of 5 Sunday. He now has 67 after 35 games. Randle registered just 64 last season in a pandemic-shortened 64-game campaign.
He’s been the point-forward extraordinaire. “KP [assistant Kenny Payne] talks about it all the time — move like a guard, finish like a big,’’ Randle said.
The Knicks moved to 6-2 since starting center Mitchell Robinson broke his hand in Washington. Credit Nerlens Noel for that.
The Knicks had an 11-point halftime lead despite shooting just 36.7 percent from the field. It was an ugly first half — personified by the gritty defense of Noel.
Noel, the last Knicks pivot standing, was a beast in the lane for a defense that held the Pistons to 38.4 percent shooting. He notched eight points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals — including one spectacular stop at the rim on a hard drive by rookie lottery pick Saddiq Bey.
“Just resilience,’’ Noel said of the Knicks’ success.
