New York Knicks’ Josh Hart (3) looks to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in New York.

New York Knicks’ Josh Hart (3) looks to pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in New York. Show More Frank Franklin II/AP

NEW YORK (AP) — On a night when Josh Hart broke a New York Knicks franchise record that stood for 56 years, he decided to give the game ball to a teammate who played three minutes.

 

It was just one more unselfish play in a season full of them for the eight-year veteran.

 

 

 

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Hart broke the Knicks’ franchise record for single-season triple-doubles (9), which star player-turned-broadcaster Walt “Clyde” Frazier set in 1969, by posting 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in New York’s 128-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

 

“It’s a blessing,” Hart said. “I’ve got a great, high-character group of guys. It means I’ve played at least nine good games so far.”

 

Still, Hart gave the game ball from the win to Kevin McCullar Jr., who scored his first NBA basket in his first NBA game after a lengthy rehab process from a left-knee injury.

 

“For me, that’s an easy decision,” Hart said. “That record is cool and a blessing, but that record is going to get broken at some point, hopefully later rather than sooner. But getting your first NBA points: No one can take that away from you. It’s important he got the game ball for that, and that’s an easy decision for me.”

 

Hart did not have a triple-double over his first six NBA seasons, which was spread between the Lakers, Pelicans and Trail Blazers.

 

But Hart has become a stat sheet-filling machine in his two-plus seasons in New York. Hart has 15 triple-doubles over the past two seasons, equaling LeBron James’ total in that span and exceeded only by Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

 

“The way he does it is special,” said Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. “It’s all energy and effort and for the betterment of the team.

 

“I’m just happy that Josh gets stats on the sheet that shows the impact he’s making on the game, because I feel there’s much more stats that don’t show up on the stat sheet that he does for our team. So I’m happy he’s having this moment where the effort, the sacrifice he puts in for our team to be the best version of ourselves is showing up on the stat sheet.”

 

 

 

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Hart’s historic performance was equaled by one from Towns as well. The duo became the first Knicks teammates to post triple-doubles in the same game in the franchise’s 79-season history.

 

“(Hart) breaking the (triple-double) record was a great accomplishment,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “To have (Towns) do it as well, that’s pretty special.”

 

Towns had six assists in the first quarter and had equaled his season high (7) by halftime. He capped his third career triple-double — and first since Jan. 30, 2022, with the Minnesota Timberwolves — in the third quarter before finishing with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

 

“Early on in the game it just seemed like the cuts (to the basket) were open,” Towns said. “My teammates were trusting me off the ball in the middle of the floor, and I just wanted to repay them for that trust.”

 

 

 

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Hart remembered playing alongside James and then-Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball when each recorded a triple-double in Los Angeles’ win over the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 15, 2018. He appreciated being a part of NBA history twice.

 

“I was in LA when (James and Ball) did it, and that sounded really dope,” Hart said. “Now it’s full circle and I’m in that same situation with (Towns), and it was really dope. It was a blessing.”

 

Yet, more importantly for Towns, who improved to 2-1 in games where he had double-digit points, rebounds and assists, was the win. The Knicks improved to 45-26 and won their second straight.

 

“It means a lot that we got it in a win,” Towns said. “At the end of the day, New York appreciates the wins more than the triple-doubles. So it’s perfect for the city that they got a ‘W’ on this day.”

 

 

 

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York.

 

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York.

 

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York.

 

 

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) is surrounded by Miami Heat defenders, including center Bam Adebayo (13) and guard Tyler Herro (14), during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

 

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) is surrounded by Miami Heat defenders, including center Bam Adebayo (13) and guard Tyler Herro (14), during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

 

New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa, left, drives to the basket past Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

 

New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa, left, drives to the basket past Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Josh Hart tied a franchise record with his eighth triple-double this season and the New York Knicks beat Miami 116-95 on Monday night, sending the Heat to their first eight-game losing streak of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career.

 

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points for the Knicks, who fell behind 12-0, then completely turned around the game after Towns scored 15 straight in the second quarter. New York won the season series 3-0 for its first sweep of Miami since 1992-93.

 

New York led by six midway though the third quarter when the game was delayed for the court to be cleaned after actor and comedian Tracy Morgan vomited while sitting courtside. The Knicks outscored the Heat 24-6 after the delay to lead 88-64 heading into the fourth.

 

Duncan Robinson scored 22 points for the Heat (29-39), who lost a game they led by double digits for the 18th time this season. The eight-game skid is their longest since March 2008, the last season under Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley before Spoelstra took over.

 

Takeaways

Heat: Miami has blown leads against everybody but specialized in that against the Knicks this season. The Heat led by at least 13 in all three losses.

 

Knicks: New York predicably looked low on energy early after finishing a five-game West Coast trip late Saturday night. But Towns, Bridges and Hart were more than enough to revive a team playing without injured All-Star Jalen Brunson.

 

Key moment

Miami led 31-18 after getting the first basket of the second quarter. Towns then scored the next 15 points, including three 3-pointers and a pair of dunks, to give the Knicks their first lead at 33-31.

 

Key stat

Hart had 12 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to tie Hall of Fame guard Walt Frazier’s total of eight triple-doubles in 1968-69. Hart has 14 triple-doubles with the Knicks, which ranks fourth in franchise history.

 

 

 

 

 

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson speaks during a media day press conference at the MSG training facility in Tarrytown, NY.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson speaks during a media day press conference at the MSG training facility in Tarrytown, NY. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks beat the Portland Trail Blazers (in overtime) by a score of 114-113.

 

Mikal Bridges nailed the game-winning shot as time expired.

 

Via The New York Knicks: “MIKAL BRIDGES, ARE YOU SERIOUS!!?

 

 

After the game, Jalen Brunson (who did not play) sent out a post on X.

 

There were over 4,000 likes and 40,000 impressions in less than 25 minutes.

 

 

Bridges finished the win with 33 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block while shooting 13/21 from the field and 2/4 from the three-point range in 41 minutes of playing time.

 

With the win, the Knicks improved to 43-23 in 66 games, which has them as the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

 

They are in the middle of a three-game winning streak.

 

Following the Trail Blazers, the Knicks will play their next game on Saturday night when they visit Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

 

On the road, they are 22-12 in 34 games away from Madison Square Garden.

 

Brunson is in the middle of another fantastic season with averages of 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 49.0% from the field and 38.4% from the three-point range in 61 games.

 

He has missed the last three with an injury.

 

Via New York Knicks PR (on March 7): “Jalen Brunson sustained a sprain to his right ankle. An update on his status will be given in approximately 2 weeks.”

 

 

 

The New York Knicks entered Wednesday night’s road matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers looking to get their season back on track.

 

New York had dropped three of their previous four games entering Wednesday’s game and they were in desperate need of building off Monday’s dominant victory over the Sacramento Kings.

 

That is exactly what the Knicks did, securing a hard-fought 114-113 overtime victory over the Trail Blazers, thanks to a game-winning, buzzer-beater three-pointer by Mikal Bridges.

 

This was Bridges’ first career game-winning buzzer-beater, and it came at the perfect time for the Knicks.

 

Bridges led the way for the Knicks as he recorded 33 points, four rebounds and four assists, including the game-winning three.

 

OG Anunoby added 23 points and seven rebounds of his own while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

 

This was a massive victory for the Knicks as they now sit just four and a half games behind the Boston Celtics for the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to Boston’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

 

It was also a great sign for Bridges who had been struggling recently, so the Knicks hope that his game winner will give him a boost for the rest of the season with the playoffs right around the corner.

 

Of course, Bridges has been a key part of the Knicks’ success this season as he is averaging 17.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 34.9% from three.

 

Despite this, he has struggled at times this season, but Bridges taking over Wednesday’s game was a good sign for New York, especially with Jalen Brunson sidelined for at least another week due to an ankle injury.

 

Bridges and the Knicks will now look to push their winning streak to three games on Saturday when they take on the red-hot Golden State Warriors.