NEW YORK, NY — Karl-Anthony Towns dominated Monday night, powering the New York Knicks to a 119–102 win over the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden in the team’s second game of a seven-game home stand.
With a bloody hand, a milestone basket, and an energy that permeated through “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” the Knicks secured their second straight win and their fourth consecutive at home behind their Dominican-American superstar. Monday’s win wasn’t just a breakout performance from the 29-year-old, it was a glimpse of what this team can look like under new head coach Mike Brown.
The Knicks finished the night with 32 assists, their second straight game with 30 or more.
Towns dropped a season-high of 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, wasting no time setting the tone early.
He racked up eight points and six rebounds within the first four minutes, and in the second quarter, he recorded his 15,000th career point, becoming one of the youngest big men in league history to reach that milestone.
Defensively, however, New York didn’t make it look easy early as Washington built momentum off poor rotations and miscommunications. The Wizards shot an eye-popping 69% from the field and 66% from three-point range in the opening quarter. Brown was visibly frustrated as the Wizards jumped ahead 30–24 after one.
“We just weren’t getting back,” he said in the postgame. “They were getting clean looks, and we can’t play that way, especially at home.”
The second quarter was a different story for Brown’s team after regrouping between periods and it started with the bench unit. Miles McBride opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and Jordan Clarkson, the Knicks new sixth man, sparked New York with his second straight double-digit scoring performance.
Clarkson poured in 10 points in 11 minutes, giving New York the offensive jolt it desperately needed. He finished the night with 15 points and two assists in 21 minutes shooting 5-8 from the field and 2-5 from three point range, continuing to cement himself as the Knicks’ true sixth-man option.
With Jalen Brunson struggling offensively, the bench unit alongside Towns, went on a 10–0 run in the middle of the quarter, a stretch from which the team never looked back. Towns briefly exited with a bloody hand but returned with no limitations, burying a deep three and drawing contact for a four-point play just before halftime.
New York went into the break up 57–54, a completely different team from the one that started the night.
The Knicks then blew the doors open in the third quarter, going on a 17–0 run that proved to be the knockout blow. The Garden crowd of 19,812 was on their feet as New York moved the ball with the kind of fluid, unselfish offense Brown has preached since training camp. The Knicks tallied 12 assists in the third quarter—one of the highest single-quarter totals by any team this season and outscored the Wizards 41–24 to take a commanding 98–78 lead into the fourth.
“That’s the kind of pace we want,” Brown said. “Everybody touching the ball, everybody involved.”
Brunson struggled to find his shot, finishing with 16 points in 32 minutes, his first game this season under 20 points. Despite that, he dished out a game-high nine assists, a stat that continues to climb under Brown as he works to get teammates more involved.
Despite a rough night shooting for Jalen Brunson, the Knicks All-Star guard recorded nine assists, a game-high in Monday night’s win vs. the Wizards at MSG – Image Credit: NBA
On the night, Brunson became the franchise’s 24th all-time leading scorer, passing nine-year Knick Trent Tucker at 5,725 points. He’s also the first player in franchise history to average more than 30 points and five assists over the first six games of a season.
Josh Hart followed up one of his better games of the early campaign with another vintage performance, recording 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes off the bench for a double-double. The Knicks’ 33 bench points were led by Hart and Clarkson, both still adjusting to their new roles under Brown’s system.
This isn’t the first time Hart and Clarkson have shared a locker room as both began their NBA careers with the Los Angeles Lakers. Clarkson, drafted in 2014, played alongside the late Kobe Bryant, while Hart joined in 2017, the season after Bryant retired.
Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson were previously teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2017-2018 season prior to Clarkson getting dealt at the 2018 NBA Trade Deadline – Image Credit: NBA
After the game, the two shared mutual admiration.
“I love JC. JC’s a professional scorer, man,” Hart said followed by Clarkson joking, “I think he got a good paycheck, so he’s a little bit more of an a**hole now.”
Brown named Hart the night’s Defensive Player of the Game, stating, “He more than deserved it because of his activity and awareness throughout the course of the entire ballgame.”
Hart later reflected on his emotions and it being a part of who he is.
“It’s what makes me, me,” he said. “There’s a good side to it, and at times, a bad side. Chicago (last Friday’s loss to Bulls) was a bad side, I was visibly upset, my body language was terrible. I’ve got to take accountability for that. I was terrible. But that’s who I am, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ve got to make sure that no matter what, I’m breathing life into these guys and not taking life.”
The wing duo of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges had quiet but impactful games. Anunoby has emerged as one of New York’s most reliable three-point threats, scoring 16 points in 32 minutes while shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 2-for-5 from deep. He also added five steals on top of his scoring display.
Bridges, meanwhile, has stepped up as a secondary playmaker, running the offense at times in the first half to allow Brunson to play more off the ball conserving his energy for the late game stretch. Bridges finished with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, 2-for-3 from three, along with four assists and three steals. Together, Anunoby and Bridges combined for eight steals.
Brown praised the team’s newfound confidence from beyond the arc:
“I love it. If any of our guys are open from three, we want to let it fly.”
The Knicks shot 15-for-41 (36.6%) from deep, continuing their season-long uptick in three-point attempts compared to last year. Though the efficiency isn’t yet where Brown wants it, he remains confident the group will improve.
The Knicks improved to 4-0 at home this season and 4-3 overall with their Monday night win over the Wizards – Image Credit: NBA
By the time Brown emptied the bench with three minutes left, Towns had done more than enough to seal the win. Despite a late 11–0 run by the Wizards, New York was in cruise control down the stretch.
“He’s a monster,” Brown said simply when asked about Towns’ performance.
The Knicks have a short turnaround before hosting Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, November 6th, for “KITH Night” at MSG—a reunion for Towns against his former team and for Randle and the city he called home for five seasons.
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