WASHINGTON — This time, it was less dramatic.
The Knicks didn’t need a double-nickel or a late comeback Monday to conquer the Wizards, instead getting a balanced attack, a triple-double gem from Swiss Army knife Josh Hart, and a late scoring explosion from Karl-Anthony Towns for a 126-106 win at Capital One Arena.
It was the eighth straight win for the streaking Knicks (23-10), who finished 12-2 in December, are just a half-game behind the Celtics for second in the East, and are the hottest team in the conference.
“We try not to think about it,” Hart said. “I think at the end of the day, winning streaks, they’re cool, they keep the vibes great, but we know there’s peaks and valleys to the NBA season.”
Hart was the catalyst during a peak Monday with an injection of everything against the Wizards.
With Brunson pressured and Washington intent on not allowing the point guard to burn them again, Hart often initiated the offense and finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
The performance occurred, ironically, in the same arena where he worried aloud about his role in the offense during the preseason and floated the idea of moving to the bench.
Less than three months later, the 29-year-old is enjoying his best offensive season.
“So funny the turnaround from him saying in the preseason he don’t know what the hell he’s going to do now,” Towns said. “He’s pretty much showing us what he can do. He has it figured out.
“He’s more confident than ever.”
Two days after dropping 55 points in the same arena, Brunson contributed just 18 in 36 minutes while shooting a disappointing 6-for-17 from the field — including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.
The Knicks, nonetheless, created separation in the second half and never looked back.
Their 13-5 run in the final three minutes of the third period, highlighted by five points and a steal from Hart, took the will out of the overmatched Wizards (5-25).
Hart was subbed out with a minute remaining to a standing ovation from the pro-Knicks crowd in D.C.
A Maryland native and proud supporter of the Washington Commanders, Hart attended their big victory Sunday night at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., and played Monday in front of quarterback Jayden Daniels at Capital One Arena.
“I got to talk to him a little bit,” Hart said. “Obviously man, he has the city on fire. He turned that franchise around.”
Hart has also been part of a franchise turnaround, and he has a lot of help.
On Monday, Towns finished with 32 points and 13 boards in 32 minutes despite going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
He took off in the second half, highlighting the evening with a one-handed jam with 4:20 remaining.
He scored 21 points in the second half after navigating foul trouble in the first.
“I was on the court,” Towns said of the difference between halves. “That’s a start. That’s a good start.”
OG Anunoby, on the first anniversary of his trade to the Knicks, added 18 points in 34 minutes with eight rebounds.
The Knicks spread the love and ended 2024 streaking.
“I thought it was a well-balanced attack,” Tom Thibodeau said. “I thought Josh was unbelievable the whole game. And then KAT’s second half was dominant. But we got good performances from a lot of people. … At some point, if you’re doing the right thing, good things come from that and you go on runs and sometimes it’s an offensive run. It can be a defensive run, as well. I liked that our defense was strong. Our rebounding was strong. We were high assists. We were low turnovers. We always say, defend, rebound, attack the paint, share the ball. If we do that, we’re gonna be in a good position to win.”
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