The New York Knicks trailed the Washington Wizards by a score of 65-52 at halftime of their preseason matchup at Madison Square Garden. The 1-2 Knicks were looking for a tune-up against a Wizards team that had won its only previous preseason matchup.

The Knicks recently parted ways with a former Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs big man. Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota T'Wolves called out the Knicks' situation involving guard Evan Fournier for being “weird” and “disrespectful.”

The Knicks played on undeterred at home, hoping to build towards another playoff season in hopes of taking the next step behind star players Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

Randle Throws Down on Mike Muscala

Randle pump faked at the three-point line on the left wing of the court and drove, facing little resistance on his way to the hole. As he approached the basket, Wizards forward Mike Muscala came over to challenge but was clearly late on his rotation.

Randle did the rest, giving the Knicks' hometown crowd something to cheer about.

“Julius Randle slammin' it down like a boss,” one fan said in response. “Somebody stop them,” another fan said, calling to mind Jim Carrey's performance in the classic comedy film ‘The Mask.'

Knicks Struggle in Second Quarter

The Knicks reeled off 31 points in the first quarter against the visiting Wizards compared to 29 points for Washington, but struggled in the second stanza. Tom Thibodeau's team was outscored 36-21 as the Wizards took a sizable lead into the locker room in New York City.

Randle had 12 points and six rebounds early in the third quarter while former Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole had 32 for the Wizards.