Julius Randle rediscovered his shot and RJ Barrett returned with force.
Facing a lineup of former MVPs and All-Stars, the Knicks ran away in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 111-97 victory, ensuring James Harden’s Clippers debut was a defeat at the Garden.
Randle had been the focus of the team’s early-season struggles, entering the evening with the NBA’s worst field-goal percentage among players averaging double-digits in scoring.
He responded Monday with a season-high 27 points on 9-for-20 shooting and another double-double with 10 rebounds.
“Trust your work. Take good shots,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “There’s a lot of things you can do. You can make plays. Get easy buckets for us. I think once he gets some easy buckets it will help, too. Once he sees the ball go in. We know what a gifted scorer he is. It will come around.”
Two nights earlier — following a loss to the Bucks — Thibodeau questioned Randle’s decisionmaking.
It was uncharacteristic of a coach who rarely, if ever, called out his only All-Star.
Maybe the motivation worked.
The Clippers (3-3), meanwhile, were disjointed offensively while committing 22 turnovers.
Harden was booed during introductions, dribbled a lot, and finished with 17 points in 31 minutes.
It would’ve been an encouraging start except for the final score, which took shape during the Knicks’ 23-7 run to start the fourth quarter.
Kawhi Leonard (18 points), Paul George (10) and Russell Westbrook (17) were all bad to mediocre. Before tipoff, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was focused on cultivating a sharing atmosphere.
“I just hope when they’re cooking, they’re not eating all the food. That’s the biggest thing, man,” Lue said. “That’s gonna be my job, to make sure I manage it, make sure everyone is in a rhythm on a nightly basis. That’s my job. I’m excited to see how it looks.”
Barrett, meanwhile, returned to the lineup with 26 points and six rebounds, shooting 9 of 16.
It followed a two-game absence because of knee soreness or, technically, patellar tendinopathy.
“The knee is feeling better,” he said.
The Knicks suffered without their young wing, dropping both games because of a sputtering offense.
But on Monday, most of the roster — with the notable exception of Jalen Brunson — found a rhythm.
Mason Plumlee, the veteran Clippers center, had to be carried off the court after his knee buckled in the third quarter.
Randle was chasing after a loose ball and dove into the legs of Plumlee, who fell to the court in pain. He was ruled out, and the Clippers were left with one center, Ivica Zubac.
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