Ranking the Top 5 Individual Performances from Knicks 2023-24 Season
3. Josh Hart’s Triple Double Dominance vs Philadelphia
How many times did we hear the cliche puns about Josh Hart being the heart and soul of the New York Knicks’ operation? Well, if any game proved that best it was March 12th at home against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Two days earlier, the Knicks gave their fans one of their worst performances of the 2023 season against the 76ers at the Garden. They shot a horrific 32.5% from the field, 22.5% from deep, and committed 22 turnovers to score only 73 points and lose a lackluster game to their rival on the parquet.
Determined to right the ship and fight back in the second game of a back-to-back with the same opponent, the Knicks did so in crushing fashion and it was credited heavily to the dominant performance from Hart, who was active in almost every part of the game. Playing in 39 minutes for New York, Hart went 8-16 from the field to notch 20 points and pair his scoring with that of Jalen Brunson and added 19 rebounds and 10 assists to put forth one of the most impressive outings for a guard of his stature.
Hart was already playing in an unusual spot for this matchup, holding down the small forward position in light of Julius Randle’s absence and OG Anunoby shifting over to the 4-spot without Mitchell Robinson. Yet, the 6-foot-4 player was like a man among giants in the contest, grabbing rebounds at an alarming rate and facilitating the Knicks’ offense en route to his fourth triple-double of the season.
“I think we played to our strengths,” Hart said. “I think we played faster. We took care of the ball. We rebounded the ball. We cut, we moved, we got good shots.”
It was truly one of those showings that made everyone around him perform at their best level. As a result of Hart’s dishing, Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo were able to get hot from the perimeter, making four three-point shots each and a combined 36 points. The Knicks were able to get some transition offense from newcomers Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa who gave 14 and 13, respectively, for a 106-79 response.
While it was only Game 65 on the schedule for the Knicks, it would set up a disdain for Philadelphia to be played out in the postseason stage about a month later. There, after collecting six triple-doubles during the regular season, it was Hart who would continue to haunt the 76ers on the glass, averaging 12.3 boards and 4.5 assists to go along with 16.8 points in the six-game series that went to the victors in New York.