The Knicks won a game on a solid, hot team and Julius Randall won back some fans.
It was a perfect Garden night, as the Knicks began the second half of their 82-game schedule with a 108-85 win over the Kristaps Porzingis-less Mavericks. Dallas' five-game winning streak was broken, and the Knicks returned to the .500 mark at 21-21 for the first time since December 7.
"I don't look at it - I look at it like we're playing good basketball," said coach Tom Thibodeau. "I hope we are not satisfied with this. There is a long way to go and we have to keep fighting."
Two days after a sneaky, two-point clunker when he was harassed by the home crowd, Randall looked like himself to roar into the basket and finish with 17 points in 35 minutes.
This was hardly accurate, as Randall shot 6 of 17 off the field - 1 of 3 from 3-point land - and caught 10 rebounds with eight assists.
RJ Barrett was the big star, adding 32 points for the second game in a row - the youngest player in Knicks history to score 30 consecutive spots. Barrett was 13 out of 22 off the field - 4 out of 7 beyond the arc.
But best yet, all five Knicks starters scored double points—something they hadn't done since opening night.
"I thought we had a great start," Thibodeau said. "It could be the best game of the year for our start. He worked really hard and played well. Just his aggression hitting the basket, downhill, moving the ball and making extra passes."
The starting unit was very troubled for the first half of the season.
"It was our best win in a while," said Ivan Fournier. "We had a purpose, and it was really enjoyable to play."
Randall was not made available for comment after the match. Thibodeau said he had spoken to Randall about the fan controversy but admitted he didn't really have to.
"You talk to Julius constantly, and you talk to the team every day," Thibodeau said. "But Julius is a pro. He's navigated the ups and downs of this league for a long time. So he knows where he stands in the league, and he knows what to do."
Barrett punctuated another big night in the fourth quarter with a two-handed reverse dunk, which was followed by his windmill dunk before the game.
Randall, who gave a thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans last Thursday, was all business and failed to acknowledge the crowd's enthusiasm on Wednesday. Fans chanted Barrett's name on several occasions.
"Of course he was aggressive," Barrett said of Randall. "He's such a big guy that you want to get him in the paint. It's great to see him outside."
Starters Evan Fournier (13 points), Alec Burks (10 points), Mitchell Robinson (19 points, 9 off 10, nine rebounds) were all in double digits. Four out of five were in double digits by halftime.
"Five guys in the double digits, that's a great way to win," Barrett said.
Long missing on his first attempt - a 3-pointer - Randall rolled again. He scored three straight on possessions - two powerful drives and a 3-pointer.
Although he heard scattered boons during the pregame intro, he only cheered as the shots were dropped and played his usual offensive manner, instead of dropping the ball to a teammate on the perimeter, as he did in San Francisco on Monday. Against Antonio.
But Barrett was the real star and looked unstoppable for over a week, with his efforts in the basket and the superior jumper.
"When he scores at all three levels, he is less predictable," Fournier said. "He's thinking less. He definitely looks like he's not thinking at all and is letting his game do its thing."