The New York Knicks have had their foot on the gas since the NBA All-Star break. Their near-trade deadline acquisition, Josh Hart, has been instrumental to that success. And on Tuesday, he posted numbers that Knicks fans have not witnessed since the days of Carmelo Anthony.
Hart had a huge impact in all facets of the team's 123-117 road victory over his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers. He had 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a sterling plus-minus of +26. The historic feat will only further ingratiate him to the passionate fans who are well-aware of the immense value Hart has had on the Knicks in just a short period of time.
Josh Hart revenge game:
16 PTS
9 REB
8 AST
3 STL
+26First Knick to reach those numbers in a game since Carmelo Anthony. pic.twitter.com/951Y8G7JEV
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 15, 2023
In Hart's 14 games, New York has gone 11-3 and was 9-0 before a three-game skid last week. Hart's “revenge game” helped the team tough out their second win in a row. His production has been felt on both ends of the court, but it is his shooting stroke that has allowed him to elevate his game to the next level.
The 2016 National Champion is averaging 10.7 points on lights-out 58.6 percent shooting from 3-point range and almost 61 percent overall. The Knicks have been forced to lean on him more with his former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson sidelined with a foot injury. He has been a glue-guy who fits the mold of head coach Tom Thibodeau quite nicely.
It is fitting that Hart's bight night hearkens back to the Carmelo Anthony era, as this is arguably the best Knicks team since the 10-time All-Star led the franchise to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2012-13.
With their current fifth-place standing and Hart's contributions, maybe the Knickerbockers could make similar noise in the playoffs this year.
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