NEW YORK — The ball was passed ahead to Julius Randle with the clock ticking down to its final seconds in the third quarter and Randle, with the defense surrounding him he stepped back and drained a three-point field goal, setting off a loud celebration at Madison Square Garden.
Randle headed to the bench, having upped the lead to double-figures on the way to a 137-115 win over the lottery-bound Houston Rockets. Immanuel Quickley took a seat next to him on the bench and for a night all was good with the Knicks.
Not quite all good — not with Jalen Brunson in street clothes for a second straight game — but after three straight losses, the Knicks got back on the winning track and Randle ended his streak of games with a technical foul at three, not uttering a word to the officials as he finished with 26 points in 28 minutes.
It was Quickley who provided the biggest boost, stopping into the starting lineup in place of Brunson again and pouring in a career-high 40 points — connecting on 14 of 17 from the field and finishing his night with a pair of free throws to get his new career best. His previous high came in a 55-minute effort at Boston last month while he needed just 30 minutes to achieve this one.
The win pushed the Knicks to 43-33, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Nets and Miami with the Heat next up at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night.
Even with the 2 1/2 game edge and just six games left in their season the meeting with Miami is vital for the Knicks since Miami would hold the tiebreaker if they can pull even with the Knicks by season’s end.
Randle hit his first shot of the night — a three-point field goal and by the end of the first quarter had piled up 15 points, assuring there was no issue on the court or in the stands with the fans. And Quickley was right beside him, scoring 13 in the first quarter and 22 by halftime as the Knicks methodically pulled away from the Rockets.
Playing without Brunson again Monday night as he nursed what the team is calling a sprained right hand it was another game where the Knicks needed to rely on Randle — although by the fourth quarter there was no need as he got to sit out and watch as the reserves stretched the lead to as many as 33. And after four days of silence, he finally spoke and insisted that while not any closer to perfect than anyone else, he is back in a proper state of mind.
Last we saw, Randle was storming to the locker room at the end of the first half in Orlando Thursday, having been assessed a technical foul for the third straight game and then jawing with Quickley as the Knicks guard tried to get him away from referee Leon Wood.
“Honestly, I got away,” Randle said of the two-days off between games and Sunday’s practice. “I got away and spent time with my youngest. [My older son] Kyden’s not here, so I spent time with my youngest and my family and got to relax and yeah, get away for sure.”
Randle has regained his form this season after struggles last season on the court and off, saying earlier this season that in the offseason he came to the realization that his body language was a problem. And his biggest issue was with the fans at the Garden, openly feuding with them as the MVP chants from a season earlier turned into boos.
This season he has been a different player and a different person — at least until the recent stretch of games. He said it is balancing the line between competitiveness and, well, whatever lies beyond that.
“Yeah, it’s a line,” Randle said. “It’s a line for sure . . . There’s a balance with everything. I’m obsessive about the game and love the game, very driven and focused, but there’s a balance, too.”
