By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Josh Hart embraced his role as a certified “Top Dog” of the New York Knicks after leading them against the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-79, in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 13, 2024.
In a chance to get back at the 76ers after losing their last encounter, Hart was a force for the Knicks and tallied a dominant triple-double performance of 20 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Hart was all over the court making his presence felt, crashing the boards for multiple offensive possessions while also making the scrappy plays for New York.
“I think we played to our strengths. I think we played faster. We took care of the ball. We rebounded the ball. We cut, we moved, we got good shots,” said Hard after the win.
Those edges proved to be evident for New York as they out-rebounded Philadelphia by 20, 51-31, and scored 19 points off the break compared to Philadelphia’s 15.
Known for his nose for the ball and great IQ in positioning for the rebound, Hart almost out-rebounded the entire Philadelphia squad in just three quarters.
New York deployed its high-octane offense as early as the first quarter and immediately grabbed a 12-point lead, 26-14.
Despite the hot-shooting from Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, the Knicks still controlled the pace of the game in the second quarter and increased their lead to 18 points heading into the third quarter.
It was all New York in the second half after winning all last two quarters, outscoring the 76ers, 47-38.
The returning OG Anunoby also stepped up for the Knicks, chipping in 14 points built from an efficient 6/11 shooting from the field alongside four rebounds, two dimes, and a steal.
Jalen Brunson equalized Hart’s scoring production after adding 20 markers while also dishing out nine assists in just 27 minutes of playing time.
The Knicks will look to sustain their momentum on March 15, 2024, as they challenge the Portland Trailblazers in an inter-conference showdown.
