FILE — Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks questions the foul call against him in the final seconds of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on March 21, 2021 in New York City. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP
Julius Randle scored 37 points as the host New York Knicks rolled to a 131-113 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
It was Randle’s fifth time scoring at least 30 points this season, and his big performance helped the Knicks bounce back from Sunday’s overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Randle made 13 of 24 shots and tied a career with seven 3-pointers. After getting 21 points in the first half, the All-Star forward highlighted his big night by hitting three 3-pointers in a span of 52 seconds to give the Knicks a commanding 88-57 lead with 7:49 remaining in the third, earning “MVP” chants from the small crowd.
🔥 @J30_RANDLE heats up from deep in the @nyknicks win!
37 PTS | 7-10 3PM pic.twitter.com/g4cNlIAqm5
— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2021
The Knicks scored 69 points in the first half for a 20-point lead at halftime.
RJ Barrett added 21 points for the Knicks, whose previous four games were decided by five points or less. Alec Burks added 20 points while Mitchell Robinson totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back from a broken hand.
The Knicks shot 51.1 percent, hit 16 3-pointers and picked up their 22nd win to surpass their win total from last season.
Rookie Immanuel Quickley chipped in 14 points and Reggie Bullock contributed 10 for New York.
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 22 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Russell Westbrook added 14 and 12 assists, but he and Beal combined for nine turnovers and did not play in the fourth.
The Wizards shot 48.1 percent but lost for the seventh time in eight games.
The Knicks took the lead for good on Bullock’s 3-pointer with 4:01 remaining in the first and gradually pulled away. They held a 39-31 lead after the opening quarter, led 69-49 by halftime, reached 100 points with 2:26 left in the third on Randle’s 11-footer and carried a 108-80 lead into the fourth.
New York held a 114-90 lead with 7:32 remaining and never let the lead slip below 17 points the rest of the way.