NEW YORK (AP) – Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans yesterday as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.
Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. RJ Barrett had 25 points and a season-high seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
“It’s a team, any given night it’s going to be different,” Barrett said, when asked if the 2022-23 Knicks were emulating their 1972-73 predecessors by playing unselfish basketball.
“We did a great job sharing the ball. Everybody kind of had a great game.”
Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, CJ McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.
“We have to be better and I (have to) hold our guys more accountable,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “That standard in which we played with tonight is not us.”
New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 115-109 win over the Wizards a night earlier in Washington. Meanwhile the Pelicans last played on Friday, falling 115-110 loss to the Raptors in Toronto.
