Knicks takeaways from Thursday’s 116-114 win over Warriors, including another resurgent effort from Julius Randle

The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak with an impressive 116-114 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

Here are the key takeaways…

– With RJ Barrett out because of a sprained left ankle, Quentin Grimes got the start for the Knicks, the third of his rookie season, along with Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson.

– Early on it was Fournier and Randle getting things going offensively, with the duo scoring 11 of the Knicks’ first 13 points. The starting unit played well, but it was Taj Gibson providing a real spark off the bench, hitting a pair of threes and scoring eight points in his first three minutes.

The Knicks shot 52 percent as a team and Randle scored eight points to go along with eight rebounds, as they took a 33-28 lead into the second.

– In the second, the bench continued to put in good work for the Knicks. Gibson increased his point total to 10 in his first five minutes, and Cam Reddish provided some of his best early minutes as a Knick, scoring nine points in nine minutes in the period.

Overall, the Knicks hung with the Warriors fairly well in the first half, though Stephen Curry started to get going offensively. After scoring just two points in the first, Curry went for 17 in the second, showing off his signature range with three three-pointers.

The Knicks dominated on the glass (33-23) but turned the ball over nine times (compared to just one by Golden State), allowing the Warriors to take a 62-57 lead into the break. Randle, meanwhile, had a double-double by halftime with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

– The Knicks came out of halftime red hot, scoring the first 11 points of the quarter, including six from Walker, to take a six-point lead in the early minutes. But the Warriors answered right back with six quick points to tie the game, prompting a none-too-pleased Tom Thibodeau to take a timeout.

Randle continued to look like his Most Improved Player self, powering his way to two and-one plays. Randle finally took a breather with 1:48 left in the period, sitting down with 25 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the Knicks maintained a five-point lead.

An Obi Toppin three in the final moments gave the Knicks an 88-82 lead through three quarters.

– In the opening minutes of the fourth, a trio of Alec Burks buckets extended the Knicks’ lead to double digits, with a three-pointer making it a 13-point game with 10 minutes to go.

The lead hovered there until a Curry three made it an eight-point game with seven minutes left, prompting a Knicks timeout. Then, in a span of two-and-a-half minutes, the Knicks’ lead was cut to two points, resulting in another timeout. Out of that timeout, Fournier hit a huge three to help the Knicks gain back some momentum.

With the Knicks up four and 3:19 on the clock, an Andrew Wiggins layup was waved off for hitting above the backboard, but Steve Kerr was unhappy at the lack of a foul call, leading to a technical foul. The Knicks took advantage with a made free throw and a Grimes three to push their lead back to eight.

Curry and company shrunk that lead down to two points in the final minute, when Curry missed a potential game-tying layup. On the ensuing possession, Randle scored two points on a Jonathan Kuminga goaltending call to make it a four-point game with 21.4 seconds left.

With the Knicks holding a two-point lead with six seconds left, Klay Thompson had a wide-open look from the free-throw line, but his shot was off the mark, allowing the Knicks to hold on for the win.

– Randle finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists, Fournier had 22 points, and Burks (15 points) and Reddish (11 points) both chipped in with nice games off the bench.

Highlights

What’s next?

The Knicks round out their five-game road trip on Saturday, when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers at 5:00 p.m.