The New York Knicks picked up one of their more impressive victories of the 2023-24 NBA season on Monday night. They went in the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, and picked up a 119-112 victory.
It was the 11th time this season the Knicks went wire-to-wire, which leads the NBA. Doing that on the road, especially how short-handed the team is, on the third game of a road trip, is quite an impressive feat.
New York was without OG Anunoby, who returned for three games but is dealing with some issues on his surgically repaired right elbow. Julius Randle remains sidelined with a separated shoulder and Mitchell Robinson is rehabbing from ankle surgery.
With several key players out of the lineup, head coach Tom Thibodeau has been leaning heavily on the healthy players he has available. That has led to some heavy minute loads for players, as a first in the NBA this season occurred on Monday.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Josh Hart, Miles McBride, New York Knicks Updates
Josh Hart, who was the starting power forward in place of Anunoby, and Miles McBride, who replaced Anunoby in the starting five, both played every minute of the first half. They are the first two players to accomplish that feat in the 2023-24 NBA season and the Knicks needed every second they provided.
In the second half, it was more of the same. Hart didn’t come out of the game once, as he became the first player in the NBA this season to play all 48 minutes of a game. McBride fell just short of that, as sat for 89 seconds of game time in the fourth quarter.
Hart is the first Knicks player to play an entire game since Jared Jeffries did it on January 30th, 2010. He has played 40+ minutes in 11 out of the last 13 games. Thibodeau is riding him hard but he is responding, recording three triple-doubles over that span of time.
Expect heavy workloads for Hart and McBride to continue, especially for however long Anunoby is sidelined. Thibodeau runs a tight rotation and both players have earned his trust to be on the floor for as many minutes as possible.
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