Julius Randle had the perfect reaction to Knicks Game 1 loss to Hawks

New York Knicks star Julius Randle has an honest response to his performance in the team’s Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Sunday.

The New York Knicks hosted an NBA Playoffs game inside Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2013 on Sunday. One of the reasons why the Knicks finished with a 41-31 record and fourth-place in the East was due to the play of Julius Randle. And Knicks fans were pumped to see Randle ball out against the Atlanta Hawks, who he has thrived against this season.

New York ended up losing Game 1 107-105 following Trae Young’s game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Randle had an off night in terms of scoring, as he tallied 15 points while shooting 6-for-23 from the field. Following the loss, Randle gave an honest assessment of his performance, saying that he will be better for the remainder of this first-round series.

Knicks: What did Julius Randle say after Game 1 loss?

Even though Randle did secure a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, he shot 26.1-percent from the field in 36 minutes of playing time.

Randle’s showing in Game 1 was shocking, considering the amount of success he had against Atlanta this campaign. In their three meetings, Randle averaged 37.3 points per game, while recording a 58.1 field goal percentage and 50.0-percent three-point percentage, per CBS Sports.

While the loss stings for Randle, the Knicks more than held their own against the Hawks. Alec Burks and Derrick Rose shined coming off the bench, as they scored 27 points and 17 points respectively, and the game was a back and forth affair that ultimately ended with Young’s game-winning floater in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.

The Knicks have a chance to even up the series on Wednesday with a victory in Game 2. Randle knows he can play better, and he will look to show that to the world in the second game of New York’s first-round series against Atlanta.