Knicks cruise by bottom-feeding Wizards to push win streak to three

The Knicks feasted on the bottom dwellers.

Winning well-deserved games is key to a successful regular season, and the Knicks did their job with precision on Monday night, defeating the Wizards 134-105.

They led by as many as 34 points and led by double digits for the final 39 minutes, with Jalen Brunson's 26 points and 11 assists highlighting the box score.

The win capped off perhaps the Knicks' easiest three-game series of the season, with home wins over the Nets (twice) and Wizards.

And unlike the matchup in Brooklyn, there was no doubt Monday.

The Knicks (8-6) went on a 37-12 run in the first quarter to beat the Wizards (2-11), but the Wizards had lost nine straight and lacked the skill and desire to mount a comeback. I didn't have it.

The only notable unrelaxed Knick is coach Tom Thibodeau, who famously views every lead as combustible, like a grenade with the pin removed.

Thisbus reinserted three starters in Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby after allowing his reserves to cut their fourth-quarter advantage to the mid-20s.

They kept at it until Thibodeau was comfortable again.

“I think our players are starting to find a good rhythm,” Thibodeau said after the game. “The chemical reaction is good.”

Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Hart, Anunoby and Bridges each scored at least 14 points.

Cam Payne added 17 points while hitting five of six treys off the bench.

The ball movement was excellent, and the Knicks had 37 assists against just eight turnovers.

“When you play like that, [with a lot of movement]the ball is breathing and there's good energy,'' Thibodeau said. “I thought his selflessness was amazing.”

There were many highlights in New York, but number one easily went to Jericho Sims. With 6:09 left in the second quarter, Sims took a pocket pass from Jalen Brunson, floated out of the semicircle and threw a jam over Washington's Kyle Kuzma.

It was a move reminiscent of Blake Griffin's heyday in that Sims, a 2023 slam dunk participant, threw the ball into the net without touching the rim.

“I had a front row seat,” Towns said. “It was amazing.”

The Wizards, on the other hand, have no notable games and are expected to be in the draft lottery.

In addition to the two gunners in Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, there is a 19-year-old French rookie named Alex Sarr. No one scored more than 11 points at MSG on Monday.

The Wizards, coached by former Knicks assistant Brian Keefe, held the Knicks to 56 percent shooting on 40 attempts, including 50 percent from beyond the arc.

It's still too early, but Washington has the makings of one of the NBA's worst teams and could be a real blow to the Knicks, who own the Wizards' top-10 protected first-round pick in 2025.

If not conveyed in 2025, the pick becomes top-eight protection in 2026. If not conveyed in 2026, there will be two second-round picks.

So the Knicks don't want the Wizards to get too bad. And that's a wish that probably won't come true this season.

Now there's nowhere for the Knicks to go but to make their schedule even more difficult. They begin a five-game road trip Wednesday at Phoenix, Utah, Denver, Dallas and Charlotte.

“I think what gives us momentum is the way we play,” Towns said. “We’re playing good basketball right now.”