Julius Randle was in no mood to keep talking after the Knicks’ second crushing loss to Philadelphia in less than a week.
The All-Star forward forced overtime with a 3-pointer towards the end of the regulation, but was called out for what he thought was a ‘blown call’ and a ‘f-ing ridiculous’ loose ball foul of the game – leading free throws by Tobias Harris in the last seconds.
Randle also missed an 18-foot jumper as time passed for a horrible 101-100 loss to the Sixers at the Garden, and he stormed off the podium after answering a question in his post-game Zoom call.
‘Bloated call from the officials. They don’t have enough contact to mention the play, ”Randle said. ‘I don’t know who it was – Nerlens [Noel] – but he clearly had possession [of the ball]
‘After all the pollution and everything that was going on, it’s ridiculous that they mention that and decide the game is ridiculous. They should do better. There are too many of these games. “
The match was played with two referees as Dannica Mosher was unavailable due to the league’s health and safety protocols, and both teams complained throughout the match, with both Randle and Thibodeau making technical errors earlier in the match.
Randle was also furious with the referees after being called up for a trip in the closing seconds of another one-possession loss last Monday in Brooklyn. The NBA ruled the next day that the call was correct.
The All-Star forward scored 24 points and Alec Burks finished 20, including seven in extra innings, but the Knicks dropped to 21-22 for two home games on Tuesday and Thursday against Washington.
Mitchell Robinson played for the first time since breaking his right hand against the Wizards on Feb. 12, finishing off the bench with four points and six rebounds in 16 minutes. He appeared to be limping late in the fourth quarter due to a possible ankle injury on the couch.
Immanuel Quickley also returned after a one-game absence due to an ankle problem, scoring 10 runs in 4-for-12 shots.
The messy game, with 36 combined turnovers between the two teams, was split evenly over three quarters.
The Sixers led 14 runs with 3:31 down in the second, but the Knicks ended the half on a run of 13-0, with two 3-pointers from Quickley and a steal and lay-up by Barrett to close in 43-42 at break.
Buckets of Noel (13 points) and RJ Barrett (19) pushed the Knicks forward in the opening minutes of the third quarter, and they led through a whopping six late in the period before the Sixers forged a 64-64 draw on entry of the final quarter.
Danny Green’s float gave Philly an 88-85 lead with 19.1 seconds to go, but his Long Island co-product Harris echoed two free throws seconds later. Randle connected for a 3 tie from the right corner with 6.4 ticks on the clock to force overtime.
Reggie Bullock’s 3-pointer put the Knicks at 100-96 with 1:10 to play, but Harris (20 points) responded with a different make from long range. Shake Milton missed a possible starting lay-up, but Randle was whistled for a loose ball foul when Noel got the rebound, and Harris sank the two free throws by 5.3 seconds for a one-point lead in Philadelphia.
After the game, referee Courtney Kirkland told a pool reporter that Randle had “committed a loose ball foul” and that Thibodeau had not indicated that he would challenge the game within the allotted time.
“They said we haven’t challenged – two officials, tough phone calls. That’s all I’m going to say about it. It’s pretty clear, ”said Thibodeau. ‘I didn’t look [the replay] yet. Usually at the end of the game there will be – as they would say – marginal contact, incidental contact, any other type of contact.
“I just know that we were hit a lot and that there was no marginal contact.”