Both teams began to slow down starts outside the gates, but Julius Randle did his best to support the Knicks attack, scoring seven of New York’s top 13 points. RJ Barrett, meanwhile, helped create for the others, cutting a basket and finding Mitchell Robinson for an easy bucket, helping New York get a 15-8 head start. Barrett finished with six points and three assists in the opening period as the Knicks jumped 27-18 ahead after one. During the period, Utah only shot 6 of 21 as a team, including 2 of 13 from over the arc.