Julius Randle, Knicks overcome early deficit to stun Bucks
FILE – Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 03, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP
Julius Randle finished with a game-high 32 points and helped his team claw back from a 21-point deficit in the second quarter as the visiting New York Knicks knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks 113-98 on Friday night to end a two-game losing streak.
Randle went 11-for-22 from the field and added 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots as the Knicks outscored the Bucks 94-60 over the final three quarters. RJ Barrett finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in his fifth consecutive game with at least 20 points.
Derrick Rose added 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench and New York dominated the Bucks in the paint 54-28.
Julius, D-Rose and RJ lead the @nyknicks 21-point comeback win!@J30_RANDLE: 32 PTS@drose: 23 PTS@RjBarrett6: 20 PTS pic.twitter.com/5PVrgzsMW6
— NBA (@NBA) November 6, 2021
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Grayson Allen had season highs of 22 points and six 3-pointers to go with five rebounds, and reserve Jordan Nwora chipped in 13 points.
Jrue Holiday was back in action and contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench after missing five games with an ankle injury.
The Bucks led for the better part of three quarters, but the Knicks broke through late in third quarter, shooting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) and scoring 32 points in the period to lead 88-83 going to the fourth.
A 19-7 run through the first seven minutes of the final quarter gave New York a 17-point lead, and Milwaukee never recovered, dropping its fourth straight game at home.
Down 21, the Knicks started their comeback in the second quarter with a 19-6 run to cut the Bucks’ lead to eight. Following a Bobby Portis layup and two free throws from RJ Barrett, Randle hit a 3-pointer to bring the Knicks within five at 48-43, but Milwaukee did not surrender the lead and was up 63-56 at the half.
The Bucks got off to a hot start, outscoring the Knicks 38-19 in the first quarter thanks to hitting 8 of 16 from long range and 14 points from Allen. New York shot just 32 percent (8-for-25) in the quarter and went 3-for-16 on 3-pointers.
