While the Knicks certainly made it interesting at times, they were propelled by a great start and an incredible finish to trample the Wizards on the road. In a game where the Knicks got strong showings from Immanuel Quickley and Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson would headline their scoring on the night. The Knicks were once again without RJ Barrett due to a migraine, and the hand injury suffered by Quentin Grimes that knocked him out during the Atlanta game also sidelined him today, but New York got the job done still.
In a dominant showing on both ends of the floor, the Knicks climb to 7-5, two games over .500, their best record of the young season.
The Knicks Get Dominant Performance From Guards and Blow Out Washington
The Knicks got off to a quick start, going up 16-4 early in the first, and while Washington would go on runs in the second and third quarters to make the game, the Knicks would blow them out. Jalen Brunson had one of his finest performances of the season, going 10-23 (43.5%) from the field for 32 points, going a remarkable 6-10 from three, and hitting all three of his attempts from the charity stripe. Brunson is red-hot right now, and while his two-point efficiency has taken a hit, he’s been a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc.
This is now his fifth-straight game with at least 20 points, and Brunson is starting to shake off his cold start from earlier in the season. The Knicks are certainly looking like the offense we saw last season because of it, and if he can figure out his issues inside the three-point line, they’ll be electric. Immanuel Quickley would try to keep pace with Brunson, delivering a 27-point performance of his own on 55.6% shooting from the field. He hit three of his seven attempts from three, adding six rebounds and four assists as well.
Julius Randle was also exemplary in his outing today, giving the Knicks 22 points on 50% shooting, adding seven rebounds and eight assists, and helping New York all around the court. This is Randle’s sixth game in a row with over 20 points scored, and he posted a positive plus-minus in five of those six games a swell. His efficiency from three has remained an issue but the ability to play less of an aggressive role on the scoring side of things has definitely helped the offense at times when he struggles.
Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson would help defensively and on the boards, as the Knicks outrebounded the Wizards 48-32 on the night, and held Washington to just 99 points in the contest. Donte DiVincenzo, who slotted into the starting lineup for an injured Quentin Grimes, was effective on offense giving New York 14 points on just nine shots, hitting four of his eight shots from three and even adding a sweet putback dunk as well, showing some hop in his step and electrifying the Knicks’ offense.
Isaiah Hartenstein continued to be a reliable backup big for the Knicks, adding eight boards of his own even if he only collected three points, and Miles McBride and Evan Fournier would get some minutes as well as the team was short-handed. It was a great team effort for the Knicks, who shot 42.1% from three and 49.5% from the field for 120 points, collecting a dominant 21-point win over a lowly Wizards team.
Good teams beat really bad teams, and the Knicks handled business on the road. They’ll travel to Charlotte next to take on the Hornets for their second matchup of the season, as the Knicks have now won five of their last six and look to get to 8-5 tomorrow night at 6 PM.