Josh Hart admitted that his game could run hot and cold, but Saturday night in San Francisco was as frigid as he could have gotten.
The New York Knicks’ glue guy did not score a point in the loss to the Golden State Warriors on 0-of-7 shooting, which also featured a heated exchange with head coach Tom Thibodeau during a timeout huddle on the bench.
Two nights later, he was unstoppable.
Hart recorded his eighth triple-double of the season in the Knicks’ 116-97 win over the Miami Heat, posting 12 points with 13 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and a block.
The performance tied him with the great Walt Frazier for the most triple-doubles in a single season by a Knicks player, which the Hall-of-Fame guard achieved in 1968-69.
“I can play a style that is very sporadic, you never know what you’re gonna get,” Hart said. “For me to be in the same sentence or tied with a record like that is nothing but a blessing. When I step away from this game, I’m really not going to be in that many record books, and I’m fine with that. When I’m done with this game, I’m done with this game, but it’s just a blessing from [Frazier] and my teammates.”
His performance was a blessing for a Knicks team that desperately needed some extra juice considering how things had been going as of late.
With superstar point guard Jalen Brunson sidelined until late March or early April with an ankle injury, New York had lost four of their last six games.
“Josh was a monster,” Thibodeau said.
Of course, there was plenty of help elsewhere. While Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 28 points, Karl-Anthony Towns single-handedly throttled the Knicks back into things on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Trailing by as many as 13 in the second quarter, Towns went on a personal 15-0 run in just over three minutes of play to get New York back on track, ending with a three-pointer from just inside the center-court logo, which was assisted by Hart.
“I wanted it that far away, I ain’t gonna lie,” Towns said. “I was going to shoot the Hail Mary for sure. That was a heat check.”
“That s—t was epic,” center Mitchell Robinson added.
Suddenly, things are starting to look OK once again around the Knicks, who have four more games in succession against sub-.500 opponents.
