Knicks Bulletin: “Randle is just working out. That’s all.”

The New York Knicks completed a four-game road trip spanning one week last Thursday getting out of it with a solid 3-1 record and losing that lone game to the reigning champs Nuggets.

On tap, a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets later today on a Saturday matinee. Don’t get that wrong, though, as it’s been a long cross-country trip and tip-off is scheduled one hour past noon.

Here is what coach Tom Thibodeau and some other players have said ahead of this weekend’s derby.

Tom Thibodeau

On the loss against the Denver Nuggets last Thursday...

“Our margin of error was tight. I thought playing with the lead was good early on, but to beat these guys, particularly here, you’ve gotta play 48 minutes, and we didn’t do that.”

“They’re obviously champions for a reason, and I thought we fought hard, but our rebounding wasn’t good throughout the game. I thought offensively, the way we started the game was really good, and it’s a two-point game with eight minutes to go in the fourth. But then a couple things [went awry].”

On the matchup against Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon...

“This game (at Golden State) ends and then you’re challenged in a different way getting back and we’ve got an early start next game against Brooklyn.”

“Just keep focusing on one day at a time. Put everything you have into it, get a look at the game today, fix our mistakes, get ready for the next one.”

On Julius Randle’s whereabouts and status...

“[He’s] just working out. That’s all.”

On his approach to building NBA rosters and how the Knicks fit that model...

“It’s a team, and that’s what we prioritize. That’s why we want guys to sacrifice and put the team first. But there has to be that belief. And I think when your best players have that belief, your entire team ends up having that belief.”

“We know we have a great group that we work with. They’re great to be around every day. They give you everything they have. So we know we’re fortunate, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.”

“I think confidence comes from demonstrated ability, like the fact that we’ve won with players being out means there’s a belief that we can do it. If we stay disciplined and do the things that we should do, we’ll have a chance to win.”

Donte DiVincenzo

On Thibs getting voted the coach NBA players would least like to play for...

“That poll (published on The Athletic), for me—and excuse my language—but it doesn’t mean s—. I’ve seen the poll, but I signed here.”

On not having a chance to celebrate anything while playing under head coach Jay Wright at Villanova...

“He would tell us to turn around and get back on defense.”

”If you watch us back in college, after dunks, 3s, no celebrations. As soon as you dunk the ball, as soon as your feet hit the ground, you turn around and you’re sprinting back. Because it would be on the film the next day. And he would point it out.”

Jalen Brunson

On finding positives in last Thursday’s loss to Denver...

“[This game was] definitely a building block, but you’re only as good as your last game. So we’ve gotta go back and regroup and get ready for Brooklyn. Definitely a successfully road trip. We can still learn.”

On Isaiah Hartenstein’s career-high 20 points against the Nuggets facing Nikola Jokic...

“Isaiah’s been playing great all year. He started off the game strong and really set the tone for us, and I think as teammates, all of us have to do a better job of helping him out because he’s kind of alone down there.”

“It’s tough and we were pretty small tonight. So we’ve gotta gang rebound. I didn’t really do much of the rebounding part, so I’ve gotta do my part. Yeah, we’ve gotta help him out a little bit.

On Nikola Jokic and failing to stop him and the rest of his teammates on Thursday...

“He’s the MVP for a reason. He played well. They all played well. They had a couple more plays than us tonight. I thought we played hard. We just didn’t get the job done.”

On where his infamous celebration came from...

“It truly came out of nowhere and it truly has no meaning other than three points on the board. I just kind of stuck with it because it was unique and nobody was doing it.”

“It’s constantly used on ads. Forget what game it was used, but it was early in the season last year my first year here. My mom looked at me and said, ‘Ehh, not a good look.’ So, I switched it up a little bit.”

“Telling you man, it’s just a weird coincidence how it started to unravel.”

“Once it caught wind I thought it was pretty cool and just kept doing it and doing it, and that’s how that started.”

Isaiah Hartenstein

On defending Nikola Jokic on Thursday’s loss at Denver...

“I mean, he’s the MVP for a reason. I tried to be physical, tried to give him different looks, but he just does a great job of using his body to get open. I think it was a great test and I can keep learning from that, but he’s the MVP for a reason.”

On the challenge that defending a big boy like Jokic presented him with...

“He does a good job of getting you off his body. I don’t think there’s a player like that, as weird as it sounds. Like, normally, it’s for me easy to steer guys, kind of getting them where I want them to go to, trying to front them. But you’ve gotta respect him. He does a great job of — the way he moves is kind of unique, and he does a great job of getting you off his body. That was the most difficult part today.”

On improving his shooting and expanding it to feature and attempting more floaters...

“It’s just getting more looks. Sometimes, especially last year, I might not get a look, a consistent look, for like five, 10 games. So now just getting consistent looks.”

“Thibs kinda seeing how it works... we’re kind of playing more off the elbow, playing more in the pocket. So it’s kind of playing my game that I know I’ve always had, but now I’m just getting more looks.”