WASHINGTON — This time it wasn't quite as dramatic.
The Knicks didn't need a double nickel or Monday's late comeback to defeat the Wizards, but instead used a balanced offense, a triple-double gem from Josh Hart, and a late scoring outburst from Karl-Anthony Towns to defeat the Wizards at 126. They won against 106. At Capital One Arena.
The Knicks (23-10) have now won seven in a row, finishing December with a 12-2 record and just 0.5 games behind the second-place Celtics in the East.
Hart was the catalyst on Monday against the Wizards, giving his all.
He had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
Two days after dropping 55 points in the same arena, Brunson contributed just 18 points in 36 minutes, but was a disappointing 6-of-17 from the field, including six from beyond the basket. One medium bottle was also included.
Despite this, the Knicks pulled away in the second half and never looked back.
A 13-5 run in the final three minutes of the third period, highlighted by Hart's five points and a steal, demoralized the trailing Wizards (5-for-25).
Hart, a Swiss Army performer, was ejected with one minute remaining to a standing ovation from the pro-Knicks crowd in Washington, D.C.
Towns finished with 32 points and 13 boards in 32 minutes despite going 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.
He came on in the second half and highlighted his performance with a one-handed jam with 4:20 left that netted him two of his 21 points in the second half.
OG Anunoby, who is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his trade with the Knicks, had 18 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
Interestingly, he unwrapped his surgically repaired elbow in the second half and his shot improved.
The Wizards brought back Kyle Kuzma, who hasn't played since mid-November due to a rib injury.
However, the forward only scored nine points in just 21 minutes of play.
The Knicks outscored Washington.
There was a scary moment in the third quarter.
Wizards' 19-year-old rookie Babs Carrington collided with a Knicks player, fell to the court holding his head and was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
He missed the remainder of the game due to post-traumatic headaches, a Wizards spokesperson said.
