The Knicks picked up their third straight win when they defeated the Washington Wizards 134-106 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Here are some takeaways…
– Washington came into the night ranked as one of the worst defensive teams in basketball, and the Knicks took advantage of that from start to finish. New York put up 40 points in the first quarter, dishing out 11 assists and shooting 58 percent from the field, including knocking down seven threes to open a double-digit advantage.
– With the big early lead on the second night of a back-to-back, head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to stick with his expanded rotation as Pacome Dadiet saw the floor as part of the second unit, and the young rookie responded nicely by knocking down a pair of triples to help start the second quarter on a 15-4 run.
– New York went on to finish a dominant first half with 73 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent shooting from behind the arc while collecting 20 assists. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the first half came when Jericho Sims brought the MSG crowd and his teammates on the bench to their feet with a layup Kyle Kuzma on a poster with a ferocious slam.
– It was much of the same coming out of the halftime break, as the Knicks just continued to have their way with the Wizards’ non-existent defense, opening things up on a 16-4 run. AND Anunoby had a bit of a quiet first half in the scoring department, but he put together a run of seven straight points in the third quarter to help him finish with 16 on the night.
– Jalen Brunson finished the third quarter with one of his famous scoring barrages, knocking down three straight threes, one of which was a four-point play, to help him bounce back nicely from a quiet night against Brooklyn. The all-star guard had 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting and a season-high 11 assists to give him his second straight double-double.
– Thibodeau sent out a full second unit to close things out early in the fourth, but he was none too pleased when Washington opened the quarter with 10 straight points. Backup PG Cameron Payne helped calm things down, though, as he knocked down three more threes to help preserve the big lead and close out the third straight win.
– With the big lead, Thibodeau was able to catch up Karl Anthony Towns some much-needed rest late in the second half after his fourth-quarter slump in Sunday’s win over the Nets. The big man continued his spectacular start to the season, however, putting together his ninth double-double (26 points, 11 rebounds) over 25 minutes.
– The Knicks are certainly riding high after finishing the night with a season-high 134 points while shooting 56 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point land, dishing out 37 assists, and turning the ball over just eight times.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
New York dominated Washington from top to bottom, but the star point guard led the way with a game-high 26 points and his second straight double-double.
highlights
Upcoming schedule
The Knicks will look to continue their winning ways as they embark on a three-game road trip when they undertake Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at 10:00 pm
