Josh Hart triple-double sparks New York Knicks to eighth straight NBA win

WASHINGTON – Coach Tom Thibodeau called Josh Hart “unbelievable” after he delivered his third triple-double of the season on Dec 30 to spark the New York Knicks to a 126-106 victory at Washington that stretched their win streak to eight games.

On the winning run, Hart said: “I think at the end of the day, winning streaks, they’re cool, they keep the vibes great, but we know there’s peaks and valleys to the NBA season.”

Hart had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double with the Knicks while Karl-Anthony Towns had a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.

Thibodeau was quoted by The New York Post as saying: “I thought it was a well-balanced attack. Josh was unbelievable the whole game. And then KAT’s second half was dominant. But we got good performances from a lot of people…

“I liked that our defence was strong. Our rebounding was strong. We were high assists. We were low turnovers. We always say, defend, rebound, attack the paint, share the ball. If we do that, we’re gonna be in a good position to win.”

Jalen Brunson and O.G. Anunoby each scored 18 points for New York, who improved to 23-10.

The Knicks led 59-57 at half-time over the Eastern Conference doormats and pulled away in the third quarter before dominating the fourth to win.

“We executed, we got stops, we played fast,” Hart said. “We played to our strengths. Sometimes it takes us a little while to wake up. We always do.”

Towns added of Hart: “He’s pretty much showing us what he can do. He has it figured out. He’s more confident than ever.”

At Salt Lake City, the Denver Nuggets got triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook in beating the Utah Jazz 132-121.

Jokic had 36 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists, while Westbrook contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to ignite the Nuggets.

Westbrook is the third player in NBA history to have a triple-double with no turnovers while shooting 100 per cent from the field and the free-throw line.

 Denver coach Michael Malone said of Westbrook to ESPN: “First ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. And what I admire so much about him, aside from the leadership and toughness that he brings every single day, is he’s got no ego…

“He came here for one reason, and that’s to help us win a championship. And he hates to lose, and that’s another thing I love about him.”

Michael Porter added 21 points for Denver, while Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each scored 20 for the Nuggets (18-13).

The NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, led by 25 points from Darius Garland and 23 by Donovan Mitchell, rolled over host Golden State Warriors 113-95 to extend their winning streak to seven.

Reserve Moses Moody led the Warriors with 19 points, while Stephen Curry managed only 11 points on four-of-14 shooting, three-of-11 from three-point range.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 37 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the 76ers to their fourth victory in a row, a 125-103 triumph at the Portland Trail Blazers.

Tyrese Maxey added 23 points for the Sixers.

At New Orleans, James Harden sank four free throws in the final 17 seconds to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 116-113 victory over the host Pelicans, the NBA’s worst club dropping a 10th consecutive game to sink to 5-28.

Norman Powell scored a game-high 35 points, while Harden added 27 as the Clippers improved to 19-13.

De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 33 points as the Sacramento Kings, who trailed by as many as 18 points, beat the visiting Dallas Mavericks 110-100 to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Kings closed the third quarter with a 17-2 run for an 83-77 lead entering the fourth, which began with an 11-4 Sacramento run for a 94-81 edge as the hosts pulled away to stay.

The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Elsewhere, Coby White had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to spark the Chicago Bulls’ 115-108 overtime victory at Charlotte.

Miles Bridges, who had a game-high 31 points for the Hornets, hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime at 98-98. AFP

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