New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau made his final instruction loud and clear.
“Make the shot. End the game. Get the win.”
Julius Randle and the Knicks followed it to the letter.
Randle beat the buzzer with a fallaway jumper to complete the Knicks’ furious 19-point comeback, 115-113, over the Washington Wizards Friday night in front of a roaring 12,258 Madison Square Garden crowd.
Julius Randle’s first career game-winner at the buzzer preserved Knicks unbeaten record in the preseason. pic.twitter.com/Wtem4GhT6y
— alder almo (@alderalmo) October 16, 2021
With the game hanging in the balance in a preseason finale that had the intensity of a win-or-go-home playoff game, Randle’s game-winner set the tone for one of the most anticipated seasons in New York Knicks history.