The New York Knicks (4-3) beat the Bulls last night at Madison Square Garden. Tonight, facing the young Washington Wizards (1-6) in the second of a back-to-back, you might have expected a sluggish start. And you would have been correct. After a sleepwalking through the first quarter, the Knicks found life in the second quarter behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, erasing a 10-point deficit. Despite a cold stretch and a late Washington surge, New York closed the half strong with a Towns buzzer-beater
for a 57–54 halftime lead. The home team ripped the lid off the game with a 41-point third quarter (featuring excellent play by Josh Hart), and sailed to victory in the fourth. Final score, Knicks 119, Wizards 102.
Landry Shamet started at shooting guard and Karl-Anthony Towns shifted over to center, with Mitchell Robinson sitting for load management. Shamet recorded 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting in his 22 minutes. Jalen Brunson had an off-shooting night, scoring 16 on 6-of-17 from the field, but also doling out nine dimes. OG Anunoby and Bridges combined for 26 points and split eight steals (five for the former, three for the latter). Hart played spectacularly, with a 12-10 double-double in 26 minutes, including 2-of-4 from downtown, and Jordan Clarkson pitched in 15. That gave Mike Brown, who relied on a nine-man rotation for most of the night, seven players in double-digit scoring.
The star of the night was Towns. Not only did he log his 15,000th point, but he also finished with 33 points, 13 boards, five assists, and two steals. He made 12-of-24 from the field, 3-of-8 from deep, and 6-of-7 from the line. Through 30 minutes of play, he was locked in from start to finish. Easily his best game of the young season.
For the Wizards, Alex Sarr led the stats with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and a steal. Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, and Corey Kispert all scored 15.
First Half
To start, messy play resulted in two Knicks turnovers in two minutes, while the Wizards shared the rock and got three players on the scoreboard. Coach Brown begged a quick timeout to let his crew start over. The message failed to convey.
The game plan, in the early stages, seemed very KAT-centric. Towns launched eight of the Knicks’ first 13 field goal attempts, sinking three. Here’s one of his assists:
The Knicks, who shot so well last night against Chicago, missed plenty of good looks this time out. They fared no better inside, where Alex Sarr and Washington’s interior defense chopped down whatever the Knicks attempted inside.
With New York missing Mitchell Robinson in the frontcourt—and Ariel Hukporti vacationing in Siberia—Guerschon Yabusele logged more time in the first frame than all of yesterday’s game. The fluffy Frenchman still looks confused. So did his teammates. After one period, New York lagged behind, 30-22.
Against the Bulls, Brunson scored his 9,000th point; in the second quarter tonight, Towns reached 15,000th. (Congrats, Karl.) Behind him, McBride, and Bridges, the Knicks started the quarter with an 11–2 run to erase a 10-point deficit. Strong defense and better ball movement tied the game 40-40 midway through the quarter.
Then . . . dooollldrums. The score remained knotted at 40 for two minutes plus a timeout. In basketball time, that’s like a week of watching paint dry. Both teams went cold in a defensive stalemate, featuring missed shots, blocked layups, and fouls.
Brunson finally broke the drought at 3:46 with two free throws, kicking off a 10-1 run. Washington responded with 13 unanswered points. Salvaging the half, Anunoby hit a triple and KAT added one at the buzzer, plus a free-throw thanks to a Marvin Bagley III blunder. Halftime: Knicks 57, ‘Zards 54.
Through two quarters, the Wizards shot more efficiently overall (54% to 44%) and scored 28 points in the paint, while the Knicks stayed competitive thanks to stronger three-point shooting (36% to 33%) and free-throw accuracy (7-of-8 from the line). Towns led the scoresheet with 16 points and 10 boards in 16 minutes.
Second Half
By midway through the frame, Towns helped the team extend their lead to 11, with special appearances by Brunson, Shamet, Hart, and Anunoby. The latter already had four steals with plenty of game left to play.
The Knicks went on a 22-2 stretch, capped by triples from Hart and Clarkson that gave them a 27-point advantage. Heading into the fourth, they were up, 98-78.
In the final frame, nearly three minutes passed before a basket was made. At the eight-minute mark, Washington cut their deficit to 15 thanks to a George three-pointer. Towns, locked in for the whole game, answered with another merciless dunk.
For every punch the Wizards threw, the Knicks had an answer. With under four minutes to go, Brown subbed out his starters and—surprise!—Hukporti and Pacome Dadiet are alive! Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Kolek joined Landry Shamet in a mission to protect an 18-point lead. Well done, lads.
Up Next
Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves pay a visit to the Garden on Wednesday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.
