Hart’s Return Lifts Knicks; Brown Details Fourth-Quarter Choice on Towns
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PORTLAND, Ore. — The New York Knicks regained a familiar spark Sunday night when Josh Hart started for the first time since spraining his right ankle on Christmas Day. The swingman logged 31 minutes in a 116-102 victory over the Trail Blazers, finishing with 18 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Hart said he hoped to play last Wednesday against the Clippers, but lingering pain delayed his return. “If we were on a good little run, I probably would have taken a couple more days,” he told reporters. “But I felt like I could come in and help with where I am right now.”
New York had dropped five of six games without Hart and frequently stumbled out of the gate, forcing head coach Mike Brown to burn early timeouts. With Hart back, the Knicks opened with more energy and improved to 12-3 this season when he starts.
“A lot of our guys are irreplaceable, but especially a guy like Josh who does so many little things,” Brown said. “He gets out and runs, throws it ahead, pushes the ball at an extremely fast pace. We get easy baskets when we play like that.”
Brown sticks with hot lineup, sits Towns late
Karl-Anthony Towns remained on the bench for the final 9:24 of the fourth quarter as Brown rode a combination that outscored Portland 31-20 down the stretch, using either Mitchell Robinson at center or a small-ball group. Towns has acknowledged the challenge of adapting to Brown’s system, and the coach emphasized that the adjustment goes both ways.
“It’s not all on KAT to adjust,” Brown said. “In the same breath, I have to make sure that I help him by simplifying what we do and making sure I’m putting him in the right spots.”
Rotation ripple effects
Hart’s comeback pushed second-year guard Tyler Kolek out of the rotation; Sunday marked his first DNP since Nov. 19.
Looking ahead to June
In a separate piece, ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill assessed New York’s NBA Finals prospects, outlining three factors that could carry the Knicks to the championship series and three potential obstacles that might derail that bid.
Source: Hoops Rumors
