New York Knicks’ Julius Randle ‘frustrated’ but makes late call

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle had to be barred by his teammates from facing Scott Foster after the veteran referee called him in the dying seconds of New York’s 117-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets Monday evening.

“It was a conversation, but I think it’s best not to comment on the situation,” Randle said afterward. “There was a lot of frustration behind that and – I mean on both sides – so I’m going to let that be a thing of the past and move on to the next game.

“It was just frustrating. Obviously we fought so hard to come back and try to win the game. So I was just frustrated. And that was about it. But we have another chance to win the game. go tomorrow. So just focus on that. “

Randle had a chance to tie the game in the dying seconds when he stood up to take a 3 point with five seconds left. But Nets star Kyrie Irving managed to hit the ball on the way up, causing Randle to juggle it and fail the shot.

“We had a game designed, obviously, and I thought Ky was going to show up and make a mistake right away, so I tried to go a little bit faster,” Randle said. “But the game happened -” whatever happens, it is and it is in the past. “

As a result, when he tried to dribble the ball on the way to the ground, he was called in for a trip by Foster with 3.2 seconds left.

After James Harden received the entry pass and knocked down a few free throws to seal victory for Brooklyn, who has now won 13 of their last 14 games, Randle was still furious with Foster. He must have been held back by rookie Obi Toppin, among others, when he tried to switch to Foster after the game.

Randle, who finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals in 41 minutes, was eventually persuaded from the ground, in part by Knicks executive William Wesley, although he knocked over a chair on the way out. from the lower bowl as he returned to the visiting locker room.

“I was going to foul early, but I saw him line up for a jump shot,” said Irving, who led all scorers with 34 points. “I felt like I could get my hands on it. Scott called Travel. I thought Julius made a good play after he landed him. I was going to foul him after that just to put him on the free throw line. . “

“This is how it looked. This is how it went.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was not so magnanimous.

“I thought it was a tough call,” said Thibodeau. “I thought we had a lot of tough calls on the home stretch.”

Foster explained why the travel call was made after the game.

“The defender was known to touch the ball, but not dislodge it or lose,” he told the pool reporter. “With that, when the player goes down, he cannot intentionally drop the ball or dribble the ball or be the first to touch after dropping the ball.”

The fury surrounding the call against Randle overshadowed a wild comeback from the Knicks, who trailed 115-108 with 28.6 seconds left just to force two jump balls by tying Harden and Joe Harris on back-to-back possessions.

Ultimately, however, Irving’s play ensured that Brooklyn was victorious in the Battle of the Boroughs.

“I think as players we feel it naturally,” said Irving, who was a Nets fan growing up in northern New Jersey, of the Knicks-Nets rivalry.

“But obviously being from here it’s a bit of a different feeling, because I have to go home and actually be with the Knicks and Nets fans. It’s my family. So that’s the basketball is competition. It’s a world sport. So it’s just respect. But obviously you want to come here and have fun just against the New York Knicks. They played well. this season. They’re a well-trained team, and appreciate the opportunity. “