LOS ANGELES — Julius Randle has made a concerted effort to chop again on his technical fouls this season, however shedding his cool contributed to the Knicks’ newest loss Saturday to the Clippers.
The All-Star ahead was assessed a technical foul — and needed to be restrained by Tom Thibodeau and different coaches and teammates — after elbowing Clippers heart Mason Plumlee on a defensive rebound with 0.3 seconds remaining within the third quarter.
Kawhi Leonard and Plumlee knocked down all three free throws to show a one-point Knicks lead right into a two-point deficit.
The Clippers then prolonged that slim cushion to as many as 14 within the fourth, sending the Knicks to a 106-95 loss of their first of back-to-back video games at Crypto.com Area.
It marked their third straight defeat after a nine-game profitable streak to fall to 39-30 total forward of Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the Lakers — with place to begin guard Jalen Brunson lacking 2 ¹/₂ of these three video games with a bruised left foot.
The loss additionally dropped Thibodeau’s staff right into a digital tie with the Nets, though Brooklyn technically is proportion factors forward for the No. 5 playoff place within the Jap Convention.
Randle additionally endured one other horrendous taking pictures recreation (5-for-24) and completed with 19 factors.
He’s taking pictures 28.6 p.c (18-for-63) over his previous three video games, and the technical foul marked his eighth of the season after getting slapped with a dozen final 12 months.
Fill-in starter Immanuel Quickley scored 26 factors, RJ Barrett had 11, and Mitchell Robinson recorded 14 rebounds and two blocked photographs for the Knicks.
Leonard scored 38 factors and Paul George had 22 for the Clippers (36-33).
The Knicks missed 9 of their first 11 field-goal makes an attempt and their first 5 3-point tries, and trailed 14-4 within the early going.
However Quickley, who shot 1-for-11 in Thursday’s loss in Sacramento, buried two buckets from lengthy vary and Quentin Grimes transformed a standard three-point play to shut inside 20-19 by the top of the opening quarter.
Obi Toppin (10 factors) registered two dunks and two extra short-range baskets for eight within the first 5 minutes of the second.
Consecutive put-backs by Josh Hart (10) and ex-Clipper Isaiah Hartenstein gave the Knicks a 37-36 lead.
Randle and Barrett solely scored two factors apiece — on 3-for-14 mixed taking pictures — with underneath two minutes remaining within the half, however Randle netted seven over the ultimate 1:17 because the Knicks led 49-47 at intermission.
Barrett and Quickley knocked down 3-pointers early within the third to push the result in 5.
Barrett managed 9 within the quarter, however after the Randle blow-up, the Knicks trailed 76-74 coming into the ultimate interval.
Leonard’s three-point play gave the Clippers a 92-82 lead halfway by way of the fourth.
