Julius Randle ended the preseason in style.
Randle connected on an 18-foot buzzer beater from the right side to lift the Knicks to a 115-113 victory over the Wizards to cap a fourth-quarter comeback and a 4-0 preseason at a raucous Garden on Friday night.
The Garden crowd chanted “Let’s Go Knicks’’ and “De-fense’’ across a wild fourth quarter. And the games don’t even count yet.
After trailing by double digits most of the night — including by 15 after the third quarter — the Knicks made a spirited fourth-quarter comeback. Before Randle’s game-winner, Derrick Rose led the rally with 28 points as Kemba Walker, who struggled on defense, sat out for the final period.
Randle, after a poor shooting night, came alive late and finished with 21 points. The Knicks put the clamps down on the Wizards in the final minutes.
Julius Randle and the Knicks celebrate his buzzer beater in a win over the Wizards on Friday.Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostKnicks center Mitchell Robinson, who made his return after being out since late March following surgery for a broken foot, didn’t show too much rust. Robinson came off the bench and played 27 spirited minutes, scoring six points with nine rebounds. Robinson’s minutes were extended because starting center Taj Gibson fouled out.
Robinson’s highlight came in the first half, when he grabbed a rebound of his own miss and flushed down a hard dunk. The ball caromed off his foot into the stands and he flexed his newly built muscles.
The Knicks rested Alec Burks to get a better read on rookie shooting guard Quentin Grimes. He was off the mark most of the night, but then connected on a huge 3-pointer in the final minute that got the Knicks within a point. Grimes finished 2-for-9 from the field.
