Josh Hart reached new levels on Tuesday night to prove he is not a one-dimensional player.
The veteran notched the ninth triple double of the season with the Knicks' 128-113 victory at Madison Square Garden, surpassing Walt “Clyde” Frazier in most triple doubles in franchise history.
Frazier, who held a record for 56 years, completed his eighth triple double on March 21 of the 1968-69 season with 24 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds against the Suns.
Hart broke the record with 16 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.
“It's just a blessing. I've got a great group,” Hart said. “A group of great high character groups. This means that you've played at least nine good games out of 82 so far.
Apart from the feat, it was an important filming night for Hart. Hart hadn't easily found the basket in the previous eight-game Knicks without Jalen Branson.
Hart averaged 40.8% off the field and 37.5% from the 3-point range, averaging 9.9 points per game by Tuesday.
In 59 games before Branson went up on the health bill, Hart shot 54.7% off the field and 32.8 over the arc with 14.5 points.
However, the scores were not singular to define the heart, and although Karl Anthony Towns had the first triple double in franchise history where the two Knicks recorded a triple double in the same game, it was nice to see his teammates express his talent in one game.
“The way he does it is special. It's all about energy, effort, and improving the team,” Towns said. “We are happy to have the stats on the sheet showing how Josh has an impact on the game, because we feel that there are no more stats displayed on the stat sheet he is doing for our team.
Hart grabbed the game ball after the victory but did not take it for himself. Rather, he gave it to rookie Kevin McCuller Jr. He scored his first career points in the fourth quarter.
“For me, it's an easy decision,” he said. “The record is cool and blessing, but at the end of the day, at some point it breaks.
