The New York Knicks are playing their best stretch of basketball so far in the young season, as they demolished the Washington Wizards on Monday and took care of business at home as they won a laugher by a final score of 134-106. New York secured their third win in a row and improved to 8-6 on the season while the Wizards continued their losing streak with their ninth straight loss and dropped to 2-11.
The Knicks ran an offensive clinic against the Wizards
With this game being the second of a back-to-back, the Knicks needed to jump out in front early and take control of this game to give the starters an extra rest. New York did exactly that with arguably their best offensive performance of the season, with their 134 points being a season-high and six Knicks scoring in double-figures.
Jalen Brunson led the way with a much better shooting display, as he finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 5-for-9 from three in just three quarters. Brunson also continued to show off the playmaking with 11 assists and no turnovers, the second straight game he recorded at least 10 assists. He is now averaging 9.0 assists across his last four games.
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his stellar season with his fourth straight double-double and 11th overall on the year. Against Washington, he scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with three assists.
Overall, the Knicks destroyed the Wizards with an incredible shooting display, as they shot 56% from the field and 50% from three while making all but one of their 13 free throws. New York also threw 37 assists with just eight turnovers as the team is starting to mesh together offensively.
Cameron Payne continues to impress off the bench
With Miles McBride missing the last three games with a knee injury, Cameron Payne has gotten the opportunity to step up in the team’s sixth-man role. Against the Wizards, he delivered his best showing of the season with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting and 5-for-6 from three.
Payne has now scored in double figures in three of his last four games and is shooting 57% from the floor and 59% from three in that span. He has been the spark plug the Knicks have been looking for out of their bench players, injecting electrifying energy on the court by playing with great pace.
Jericho Sims had his best game of the season against the Wizards
Jericho Sims must have taken his recent benching for Ariel Hukporti personally, as he has been a much better player on both ends of the floor in his last two games. Monday against the Wizards, Sims recorded a season-high seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked one shot.
Additionally, Sims improved defensively, as he allowed only six points in the paint on the night. Interior defense has been a major weakness not just for Sims but the team as a whole, and they showed a much stronger effort in that department against the Wizards.
The Knicks end the homestand going 3-1, and they will now head out West for a five-game road trip, starting with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.