Knicks’ RJ Barrett has big night: ‘playmaking was terrific’

It won’t solve the problem of his late-game absences, but RJ Barrett found a way to at least redirect attention Saturday night.

Barrett dished out a season-high seven assists and scored 25 points (his most points since he scored 30 on Feb. 2) as the Knicks defeated the Pelicans, 128-106, at the Garden. It marked the sixth time in Barrett’s four-year NBA career he has had seven or more assists. He attributed his facilitation to being aggressive on offense. He also noted that the made shots, a key component, followed from other Knicks after his passes.

“The playmaking was terrific, all-around play, just read the game really well,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Barrett. “Aggressive to start, good rhythm, and then when there was traffic around him, he sprayed it out and created easy shots for us. And when we get our team doing that we’re gonna score a lot of points.”

Barrett’s big game came one night after Thibodeau kept him off the court for the final 7:56 of a tight contest against the Wizards. Before the game Saturday, Thibodeau attributed his decision Friday to “sometimes, another guy’s got it going and that’s the way it is.” But it wasn’t the first time this season the coach has subbed out Barrett, his 22-year-old, $107 million star, in pivotal moments of the fourth quarter.

“It’s going to be what goes well, but RJ’s obviously a very important part of the team,” Thibodeau said.

Two of Barrett’s assists came early in the first quarter. Barrett lobbed a pass to Mitchell Robinson, who scored to give the Knicks a double-digit lead. Later, he executed a drive-and-kick to Randle, who hit a 3-pointer from the left wing.

Barrett also found a scoring rhythm early, challenging Brandon Ingram one-on-one and beating him with a crossover and step-back jumper to open the scoring. He added 10 points in the third quarter, including eight points in the first 3:13.

“[Barrett] was great,” Randle said. “Just how he was reading the floor, getting guys open looks early with how they were playing and keeping his feet when he got in the lane.”

Near the start of the second quarter, Barrett curled around a screen from Isaiah Hartenstein and drained a 3-pointer. He sank another 3 later in the quarter, after Jalen Brunson flung a crosscourt pass near the right corner, where Barrett was stationed.

In between those two baskets, he added another pair of assists — facilitating a Robinson dunk and a Josh Hart jumper — that helped him to his most this season since Dec. 11, when he compiled six in a win against the Kings.

“We clicked really well as a team today,” Barrett said.