The New York Knicks have been breaking records for all the wrong reasons in the 2019-20 NBA regular season and it's nice to see them set something positive for a change.
After powering the team to an impressive 94-82 win over rivals Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, Julius Randle became the second player in franchise history to record back-to-back games with at least 30 points, five rebounds, and four three-pointers, joining Latrell Sprewell.
Randle was unstoppable against the Nets at Barclays Center, notching 33 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes of play, while draining a career-best five three-point conversions.
Prior to that, he also lit up the score board against the Washington Wizards, dropping a season-high 35 points and five rebounds last Tuesday.
Although they now share a piece of history together, Randle and Sprewell's game couldn't have been more different. Randle is a hybrid bruiser who can punish smaller defenders down the low block while being able to out-speed much bigger slot men in the league. Meanwhile, Sprewell was one of the best two-way wings in his prime and was instrumental in NY's bridesmaid finish in the 1999 NBA Finals.
Sprewell has also been named to the All-Star team four times throughout a career than spanned 13 seasons.
Randle, meanwhile, has been playing much better since the Knicks decided to replace head coach David Fizdale with interim coach Mike Miller at the beginning of the month.
He is currently averaging 17.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, numbers that will likely increase in the coming weeks since he has become the focal point on offense for the Knicks. New York has shown slight improvement in their last 10 games, coming out victors in four games during that stretch.