Julius Randle lost his cool.
It was a flashback to last season, when Jalen Brunson wasn’t around and Randle’s quick-triggered anger contributed to an ugly and spiraling season. But Randle seemed to get that under control as he re-emerged as a 2023 All-Star.
Until Saturday in Los Angeles.
Randle picked up a technical foul at the end of the third quarter for clobbering the Clippers’ Mason Plumlee in the chest with an elbow. After the whistle, Randle went after the referees and appeared upset with a Knicks security guard near the team bench.
It was an ugly scene and impossible not to correlate with Randle’s terrible basketball performance. With Brunson injured and in street clothes, Randle missed 19 of his 24 shots as the Knicks lost their third straight Saturday, 106-95, falling from fourth to fifth in the Eastern Conference behind the Brooklyn Nets.
Randle’s meltdown was a critical point. The three free throws (two from Plumlee for the foul, one from Kawhi Leonard because of the technical) gave the Clippers the lead to start the fourth quarter. It also started L.A.’s 9-0 run and the Knicks (39-30) never recovered.
Although Randle blamed the referees on the court, it was an evenly-called contest with the officials allowing for more physicality. One other possible explanation for Randle’s frustration is simple exhaustion. His 34 minutes Saturday placed him as the league leader in total minutes played. Randle also didn’t have Brunson to share the load, and the other running mate — RJ Barrett — struggled Saturday while shooting 5 for 12.
It was contrasted by the dominance of Leonard, who dropped 38 points for the Clippers’ third straight win. Randle, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, shot just 18 for 63 during the three-game losing streak.
Brunson, meanwhile, missed his third game with a “sore foot.” He returned Thursday in Sacramento but only lasted a half before reaggravating the injury and limping to the locker room.
The Knicks certainly miss him.
Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Brunson underwent an X-ray, which was negative, and classified the injury as a bruise. Otherwise, Thibodeau, who is vague about injuries, wouldn’t provide a recovery timeline other than “when he gets cleared, he’s cleared.”
Immanuel Quickley again replaced Brunson as the starting point guard, and his play was under the microscope after shooting a miserable 6-for-27 in the previous two games. Quickley responded Saturday with a strong effort — 26 points, 10 rebounds — but couldn’t overcome Randle’s misery.
The Knicks next play the Lakers on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, meaning back-to-back games in the same location but against different opponents. Randle has said he’s extra motivated to play against his former Lakers team, but he also needs to refocus.