With less than 48 hours until the NBA trade deadline, rumors continue to swirl around the Knicks — but on the floor Tuesday night, New York looked very much like a team comfortable with its current roster. Despite reports from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that the Knicks are not aggressively pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo, they delivered in a 132-101 win over the Wizards.
Mikal Bridges finished with 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and knocking down three 3-pointers. As a team, New York shot 47-for-90 from the field (52%) and outrebounded the Wizards 48-40.
Over the last 10 games, the Knicks have dominated on both ends of the court. Offensively, they are averaging 113 points per game while shooting 47% as a team, while allowing just 93 points per game.
The Wizards entered the game coming off a 116-112 win over the Kings, but sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 13-35. Washington has gone 3-7 over its last 10 games, though the franchise has a bright future featuring Alexandre Sarr, along with former All-Star Trae Young, who was acquired via trade several weeks ago.
The Knicks opened the calendar year with a worrying 2-9 stretch before locking in and ripping off a seven-game winning streak, their longest of the season. Instantly, the Knicks flashed their hot play, jumping out to a 12-5 lead thanks to fast transition offense. New York’s fast-paced play on both ends of the court continued throughout the opening quarter, with OG Anunoby leading the way by scoring nine points in nine minutes. The Knicks exited the first quarter with a 38-22 lead.
The Knicks were immediately challenged by a short-handed bench, with both Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride out due to ankle injuries, leaving head coach Mike Brown to strategize with his remaining bench pieces. Ariel Hukporti and Mohamed Diawara served as the first two men off the bench, along with the red-hot Landry Shamet, combining for eight points in the first quarter before Diawara went down with an ankle injury and headed to the locker room, limiting the bench even further.
The Knicks continued their dominant play in the second quarter, outscoring Washington 34-23. Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his play after a sluggish start, scoring 14 points with three rebounds. The Knicks went into halftime with a commanding 72-45 lead, signifying the theme of the night.
It was all Knicks again in the second half, as New York led by as many as 32 points in the third quarter. Jalen Brunson delivered his best quarter of the evening, scoring 13 points in 12 minutes of play while shooting 4-for-7 from the field. With the big lead, Brown emptied his bench, playing reserves Trey Jemison and Dillon Jones, who each logged nine minutes in the final quarter.
