Killing their top two point guards wasn't enough to prevent the Knicks from facing the hapless Jazz.
Although All-Star Jalen Brunson and sixth man Miles McBride are out of the lineup with injuries, the Knicks are still on their way to nine straight wins and hope to pick up where they left off with a 119-103 win at the Garden in December in 2025. It has picked up.
Veteran backup Cam Payne made his first start of the season for the Knicks, and Brunson missed the first game with a strained right calf. McBride also suffered a hamstring problem during the pregame warm-up and suffered a hamstring injury in the final stages of the game.
Josh Hart recorded his second consecutive triple-double and fourth of the season with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists, helping the Knicks improve to 24 wins and 10 losses overall.
“We have great depth. We have guys who can score the ball,” Hart said after the game. “This just shows the difference between last year and this year.
“last year, [with Brunson] I don't know what happened. …But even with him gone, we still felt the depth of KAT, “Cal, OG, and those guys are very good at scoring the ball.''
In fact, Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 31 points and 21 boards, Mikal Bridges had 27 points, and OG Anunony added 22 points with 3 steals, leading All-Star Lauri Markkanen in the primary shutout ( It was also a monster game with 6 hits in 22 at-bats. ).
Payne had eight points, nine assists and three steals in 35 minutes, a season-high for the Knicks. The Knicks will face a tough test Friday night in Oklahoma City against the West Division-leading Thunder.
Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton each scored 25 points for the Jazz, but they lost five straight and fell to 7-25.
“Guys stay ready. I think we've got a pretty good bench and everyone's working on their game all the time. And when the time comes, everyone's ready to go,” Payne said. spoke. “One thing about me is that I'm always ready, so I think that helps me.
“So, if something like that happens, I'm ready to go. I was shocked, but I was ready. I'm really happy to win.”
The Knicks fell behind Utah by 10 points early, but Anunoby got a steal from Jordan Clarkson and hit a two-handed slam to spark a comeback. Payne's steal then led to Bridges' layup in transition, which helped the Knicks take a narrow 25-24 lead in the first quarter, before going for another inside bucket.
Payne recorded three of the Knicks' seven swipes in the first half, an example of a vastly improved team defense that led to a 12-2 winning streak in December.
“I'm definitely a 'defense wins games, defense wins championships' type of guy, and I felt like we did that tonight,” Payne said. “That was what we had to do. [two] Guys, we've got to find a way to win games, and I feel like tonight we were on the defensive end. ”
Precious Achiuwa's left dunk and driving layup led to the second point, the latter coming off a Bridges denial of Clarkson, giving the Knicks a three-point lead.
Another trey from Payne and two more shots from Towns extended the lead to 13 points with less than three minutes left, and the Knicks held a 56-46 lead going into intermission.
Markkanen's putback slam and Sexton's steal and layup cut Utah's lead to five points midway through the third, but Anunoby repeatedly finished near the rim and sank key 3-pointers, leading to the Knicks' lead. They advanced to the finals with an 87-79 advantage. 12 minutes.
The Knicks then started the fourth quarter with a 10-2 spurt, doubling their lead to 16 points, with Hart's five points scoring his second consecutive triple-double.
“It's just a good win in a hard-fought battle. Just find a way to win. That's what this season is about — the next guy to step in and get the job done,” Tom Thibodeau said. “That's why we're a team, that's why we work together. Everyone has to prioritize the team and make sacrifices.
“Throughout the season, whether it’s injury, illness or foul trouble, everyone is needed and if called upon, be ready.”
