Josh Hart’s triple-double propels Knicks to blowout win over Kings

Josh Hart, typically, was everywhere.

On a Saturday night his team bludgeoned the Kings with buckets for a 143-120 victory, Hart carried the energy, carried the rebounds and carried all crevices of the box score.

Supposedly a game-time decision because of knee soreness (he didn’t look at all during pregame like a DNP was under consideration), Hart finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 ᴀssists for his sixth triple-double of the season.

He fell just one rebound shy of his career high. He also had zero career triple-doubles before joining the Knicks in 2022.

“I think that’s a lot of credit to Thomas Thibodeau,” Hart said. “And him putting me in a position to be successful. I think it’s always a good combination when you have a coach and player who match each other’s craziness. So I gotta give him all the credit for the success I’m having since I’ve been here.”

Joining Hart in offensive dominance was Jalen Brunson (25 points, 11 ᴀssists), OG Anunoby (33 points, his most since November) and Mikal Bridges (27 points, 10-for-15 shooting, seven ᴀssists).

Anunoby, interestingly, blamed his lack of production for stretches this season on fewer opportunities. His 36 sH๏τ attempts over the past two games are his most for any consecutive games since November.

“I definitely try to be more aggressive,” Anunoby told MSG Network. “There was a spell where I wasn’t getting touches, wasn’t getting sH๏τs. And I’m trying to be more aggressive, trying to ᴀssert myself more in the game.”

The only disappointment was Karl-Anthony Towns, who is dealing with a sprained thumb and clearly isn’t as comfortable shooting treys.

He went just 0-for-1 from beyond the arc, leaving him 1-for-10 since returning from the injury.

The center finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds on 7-for-18 shooting.

But the Knicks didn’t need efficiency from Towns on Saturday night, not with his teammates scorching and the Kings (23-22) eschewing defense for pace.

If Sacramento’s goal was to gas the Knicks, the strategy failed from tipoff.

The Knicks (30-16), winners of three straight, had the advantage of three days off between games and flexed that energy early.

Behind exquisite ball movement and H๏τ shooting from subsтιтute Landry Shamet (who nailed three treys early), they led after the first quarter, 38-25.

“Obviously, it’s a little unusual to have three days off, so the challenge is to get some recovery time in, then combine that with some practice time,” Thibodeau said about the break following Tuesday’s win over the Nets. “But no matter what you do in practice, you’re not going to get to that intensity level of a game. So you’ve got to make sure that you come back with that edge when you get that break.”

The only letdown for the Knicks was in the second quarter, when their 19-point lead dwindled to one.

But they never gave it up totally and never trailed after the opening quarter.

Victory felt ᴀssured for most of the second half with Precious Achiuwa giving a defensive push down the stretch.

“It’s about making the right play every single time or at least trying to,” Brunson said. “And if we don’t, we hold each other accountable, and we go forward from there. But we all want to win and that’s the only thing that matters.”

The Kings are a rejuvenation story.

They struggled so much to start this campaign that they sacked head coach Mike Brown, a move that was panned by other NBA coaches — most notably Denver’s Mike Malone — but gave the franchise a boost.

Interim head coach Doug Christie now has a 10-4 record, with Domantas Sabonis leading the way as a double-double machine.

On paper, Sacramento’s a playoff team after finishing ninth last season and adding DeMar DeRozan in the summer.