RJ Barrett’s Career Night

The New York Knicks faced off against the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, which should have meant former Duke teammates RJ Barrett vs. Zion Williamson but Williamson’s injury precluded that.

Didn’t matter much to Barrett: the rising Knicks star shot 6-8 from deep and 12-18 overall, finishing with 35 points including 16 in the fourth quarter and nine in the final 1:40.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau raved about his young star after the game, saying this: “He was terrific — all-around game, start to finish, clutch shots, great hustle, great effort, rebounding the ball, tough shots. He got downhill. We needed it. They played hard as heck.’’

He’s making believers out of Knicks fans. Check out the rave from our pals over at Posting and Toasting:

“...[O]nce again the Knicks looked disinterested and sloppy against an inferior opponent.

“All but one...Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr. The Chosen One. The Prime Minister of Canada. The Wayne Gretzky of Basketball. When the Knicks mostly played lackadaisical ball, they were rescued by the 21-year-old Barrett, who had the best game of his young NBA career: a career-high 35 points. And 16 of those points came in the fourth quarter, when Barrett refused to let the Knicks succumb to their usual late-game doldrums...Recap to come. RJ forever!”

• Knicks 123, Pelicans 117: Scenes from the game RJ Barrett refused to lose
• Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau credits RJ Barrett’s improvements to toughness, basketball IQ, and competitiveness
• By The Numbers: RJ Barrett’s career-high 35 points propels Knicks to road win vs. Pelicanss
• Knicks news: RJ Barrett joins LeBron James, Stephen Curry in career night