The Knicks and their fans went the classy route and welcomed back two popular former players to the Garden, but they also made sure to ultimately spoil the homecomings of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the end.
Jalen Brunson heard even louder chants of “MVP” multiple times during his fourth straight game with at least 30 points, finishing with 38 and nine assists to front the rolling Knicks to an emphatic 126-100 victory Saturday night over the Raptors.
Julius Randle also recorded his first triple-double of the season — 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists — as the Knicks (26-17) dominated on the boards (61-31) to improve to 9-2 since the trade that imported OG Anunoby along with Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn from Toronto on Dec. 30.
“It was trippy, man. As I saw Quick at tipoff, as he was bringing the ball up, it just threw me off a little bit, so it was kinda trippy in the beginning,” Randle said. “But afterwards, I was able to get a rhythm and adjust to it.
The Knicks honor RJ Barrett (9) and Immanuel Quickley (5) for their time in New York during their 126-100 win over the Raptors. Jason Szenes / New York Post“It’s a little closure, I guess in a sense. But for me, the relationship is gonna go on forever.”
Barrett scored a team-high 20 points and Quickley contributed 12 points with 11 assists for the Raptors (16-27), who also traded away former All-Star big man Pascal Siakam earlier in the week.
Still, Anunoby enjoyed yet another active two-way game since his arrival — finishing with 14 points, three blocks and a plus-20 rating over 37 minutes.
Achiuwa even added 14 points, easily his most since the trade, against his former team, with Isaiah Hartenstein departing in the third quarter with a sore left ankle.
“Hopefully it will continue and we’ll continue to win games,” said Anunoby, whose plus-190 rating is tops in the NBA since Jan. 1. “I always want to impact winning.”
The MSG fans rose to their feet and cheered loudly as Quickley and Barrett were introduced with Toronto’s starting lineup, and they warmly applauded again when a joint video tribute was played on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter.
Immanuel Quickley is introduced before the Knicks’ 126-100 win over the Raptors. AP“It was amazing. Thank you to the fans, for sure,” Barrett said afterward. “We got a tribute video, I didn’t think we were gonna get that. That was cool. I’m very appreciative, appreciative of my time here.
“To come back had a lot of emotions, for sure. But it was fun to come back and play basketball here again.”
Quickley, who had said before the game “I’ma try not to cry,” drained a straightaway 3-pointer for his new team’s first points, with the play kept alive by an offensive board by Barrett.
RJ Barrett is introduced before the Knicks’ win over the Raptors. APQuickley returned the favor with a feed to Barrett for a dunk on the ensuing Toronto possession, and each former Knick converted a traditional three-point play as the Raptors built a 27-16 lead in the first seven minutes.
Brunson nailed three 3-pointers and netted 13 in the period, however, and the Knicks closed on a 10-2 run — including treys by Randle and Josh Hart — to pull even at 31-31 through one.
After Achiuwa put the Knicks ahead early in the second, Anunoby netted his first points of the game with a layup then rejected Barrett’s shot at the other end.
Jalen Brunson reacts during the first half of the Knicks’ win over the Raptors. Jason Szenes / New York PostAnunoby drove the lane for another layup and sank a mid-range jumper for six points in the quarter, as the Knicks reached intermission nursing a 59-57 advantage. Brunson and Randle posted 15 points apiece in the half, but Barrett also had 15 to pace the Raptors.
Brunson drilled a 3-ball from the corner early in the third, helping the Knicks extend their lead to nine.
And Randle found a cutting Anunoby for a two-handed dunk to help build a 17-point advantage before the Knicks put away their former teammates in the final period.
Julius Randle looks to make a move on former teammate RJ Barrett during the Knicks’ win. Jason Szenes / New York Post“Love those two. Being teammates with them the past couple of years has been special,” Brunson said of Barrett and Quickley. “Great character dudes. They both work really hard. Everything you want in a franchise player. Toronto has a couple good dudes over there. I wish them nothing but the best.”







