The Knicks fell to the Wizards 115-99 in their preseason home opener. >> Box Score

Six things to know from Friday's game...

1) Right off the opening tip, Julius Randle showed off his ability as a point-forward. Off of a Washington miss, Randle hauled in the defensive rebound and brought the ball up the court himself, something that Knicks fans can expect to see often this season. Randle then backed down the much smaller Ish Smith, and then kicked it out to an open Marcus Morris, who drained the three. Randle finished the night with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

2) Speaking of Morris, the veteran had a strong shooting performance at The Garden. Morris shot 8-13 from the field, including 3-7 from beyond the arc, good for 21 points. Morris was the only member of the starting five with a postive +/- with a +6.

3) RJ Barrett poured in 15 points for the Knicks on 6-15 shooting, and he got into a little bit of a rhythm early, knocking down his first two shots. He showed off a good move down in the post for a quick layup, and then pulled up around the free throw line for this second make. Barrett wasn't great overall, but he did show flashes of how versatile his game can be.

4) The second quarter was nothing short of a disaster for the Knicks. At one point in the first quarter, the Knicks were out to a 30-15 lead, and then things fell apart. The Wizards went on to outscore New York 41-17 in the quarter, which included a barrage of three-pointers that the Knicks struggled to defend, en route to a 36-6 run. The Knicks entered the halftime intermission down by 18.

5) Mitchell Robinson had a night to forget for the Knicks. The starting center was only able to play 10 minutes due to immense personal foul trouble. Robinson was Second-Team All-Rookie last season, but foul trouble held him back in games. Knicks fans are hoping that trend doesn't continue. He finished the night with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 personal fouls.

6) Defending the three-point shot was a huge issue all night long for the Knicks, as the Wizards time and time again knocked down open threes. Washington was 19-41 from beyond the arc.

Highlights

Marcus Morris Sr. gets straight to it. pic.twitter.com/YSeMtPwFDi
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 11, 2019

RJ's debut already lookin' nice 👀
Six quick points for the Rook. pic.twitter.com/o4Rpf1ecth
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 11, 2019

🚨 LOOK OUT BELOW 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0xPipeezyg
- NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 12, 2019

What's next

The Knicks continue their preseason schedule on Wednesday night as they take on the Atlanta Hawks at MSG. Tipoff is set for 8 PM.

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