Making the Case: Julius Randle, All-Star Sub

Does Julius Randle have a good shot at being named to his third All-Star game tonight? I make the case for his selection. Plus, a look back at the KP trade 5 years later.

Good morning! There’s a jam-packed newsletter to get to today as we prepare for what will hopefully be New York’s ninth straight win. 9 straight! What a time to be alive…

Game Night

TONIGHT: Pacers at Knicks, 7:30 pm, MSG Network

Injury Report: We’re still awaiting official word on the Julius timeline, but it seems like we may get some clarification in the coming days. As for OG Anunoby, he’s once again listed as questionable, as is Quentin Grimes following the knee injury he suffered in the first half on Tuesday night.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, Ben Mathurin, TJ McConnell and Jalen Smith are all listed as questionable.

Halftime Zoom: No halftime Zoom tonight (child care obligations, my apologies) or Saturday (live watch party, come join us!) but I will be back on Tuesday.

What to watch for: The matchups.

My guess would be that regardless of whether OG plays or not, New York’s starting power forward will start out guarding Pascal Siakam and Josh Hart will get the assignment on Tyrese Haliburton. That would leave Donte DiVincenzo free to chase around Buddy Hield while Jalen Brunson hides on Aaron Nesmith.

This will also be a homecoming for Obi Toppin, who would surely like to throw down a few dunks in his former home arena. The Knicks could go in any number of directions with how they cover Toppin, so that bears watching as well.

One last thing to keep in mind is that Indiana is a poor defensive rebounding team but is fairly solid on the offensive glass. With Hartenstein off the floor, New York has been more susceptible than usual to giving up offensive rebounds recently, so this could be a key area to watch.

Reflecting Back

While yesterday may have been the official five-year anniversary of arguably the most seismic trade in franchise history, it’s worth pointing out that the seeds for that deal had been germinating for months, if not years.