Josh Hart's triple-double propels Knicks to blowout win over Kings

The Knicks offense was humming and Josh Hart was typically everywhere. 

On a Saturday night his team bludgeoned the Kings with buckets for 143-120 victory, Hart carried the energy, carried the battle of the boards, and filled all crevices of the box score 

Hart, who was supposedly a game-time decision because of knee soreness (he didn’t look at all pregame like a DNP was under consideration), finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season. 

He fell just one rebound shy of his career high. 

Hart was joined in offensive dominance by Jalen Brunson, who had 25 points with 11 assists, OG Anunoby, whose 33 points represented his most since November, and Mikal Bridges, who added 27 points on 10 for 15 shooting with seven assists. 

The only disappointment was Karl-Anthony Towns, who is dealing with the sprained thumb and clearly isn’t as comfortable shooting treys.

He went just 0-for-1 from beyond the arc, leaving him 1-for-10 since returning from the injury.

The center finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds on 7 for 18 shooting. 

But the Knicks didn’t need efficiency from Towns on Saturday night, not with his teammates scorching and the Kings (23-22) eschewing defense for pace. 

If Sacramento’s goal was to gas the Knicks, the strategy failed from tipoff. 

The Knicks (30-16), winners of three straight, had the advantage of three days off between games and they flexed that energy early.

Behind exquisite ball movement and hot shooting from substitute Landry Shamet (who nailed three treys early), they led after the first quarter, 38-25. 

“Obviously it’s a little unusual to have three days off so the challenge is to get some recovery time in, then combine that with some practice time,” Thibodeau said about the break following Tuesday’s win over the Nets. “But no matter what you do in practice, you’re not going to get to that intensity level of a game. So you’ve got to make sure that you come back with that edge when you get that break.” 

The only letdown for the Knicks was in the second quarter, when their 19-point lead dwindled to 1. But they never gave up the lead and they never trailed after the opening quarter. 

Victory felt assured for most of the second half. 

Not even a long delay for a supposed bent rim could derail them.

Following a 10-minute investigation — which included an MSG worker with a ladder and a level-line tool — the rim was determined straight.