NBA Twitter Loves Julius Randle’s Dominance as Red-hot Knicks Beat Bulls

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

In NBA Jam parlance, Julius Randle is heating up.

The New York Knicks forward is practically shooting fireballs at this point, posting his third game with 30 or more points in his last four contests during Wednesday’s 128-120 win over the Chicago Bulls (11-16).

Randle finished the game with 31 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Jalen Brunson (30 points, seven assists) and R.J. Barrett (22 points) chipped in with strong performances of their own. DeMar DeRozan (32 points) and Zach LaVine (25 points) led the Bulls, per usual.

But NBA Twitter was loving the performance from Randle:

This wasn’t a perfect performance from Randle. He had a couple of tough offensive trips down the stretch despite getting a seemingly favorable switch onto Alex Caruso. He air-balled a potential game-winning shot in the final second in what was a pretty dreadful possession. He was fairly quiet in overtime, with only a point and an assist.

No matter. The Knicks (15-13) secured the win, and Randle’s hot start alongside Brunson’s fantastic, seven-point overtime sealed the deal.

Randle’s long isolation possessions can be infuriating. But this is as good as he’s looked since the 2020-21 season, when he was an All-Star and second-team All-NBA selection after averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists per game while shooting 41.1 percent from three.

That three-point stroke appears to have been an aberration. But the addition of Jalen Brunson this offseason is getting the most out of Randle, namely during New York’s five-game winning streak. At the moment, Randle is on fire.