Are Knicks settling in to life without injured All-Star?

The New York Knicks are finally showing signs of life after a tough stretch without All-Star forward Julius Randle. Whether it's sustainable remains to be seen. 

The Knicks have been without Randle since Jan. 27 after he suffered a dislocated shoulder. They have won two of three games since returning from the All-Star break, including Monday night's 113-111 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Knicks lost a season-high four consecutive games before the All-Star break. 

No player has done a better job of picking up the slack from missing Randle's 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists than All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, who had his second double-double in three games with 35 points and 12 assists in the win over the Pistons. 

Brunson is sixth in the NBA in scoring at 27.7 points but still isn't cutting himself any slack with Randle out. 

"I got to be better," Brunson told the New York Post after putting up 34 points and nine assists in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 24. "Plain and simple, from a vocal leader standpoint to not turning the ball over and just being a better decision-maker." 

Things might not get any easier for the Knicks the rest of the way. On Feb. 21, Randle said that while he hopes to return soon, he still hadn't ruled out season-ending surgery. 

The Knicks are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 35-23 record headed into Tuesday's game against New Orleans.