WASHINGTON, DC — For four quarters, the Knicks played with their food.
They allowed themselves to enter a danger zone against the tanking Wizards, the worst team in the East, and entered their first overtime of the season because the defense devolved into a porous mess.
So what should’ve been an easy evening turned into a dogfight for the Knicks, who required 55 points from Jalen Brunson to squeak out Saturday’s 136-132 overtime win.
Brunson was a scoring machine with his double-nickel, collecting his third game with 50 or more points since last season.
And the Knicks (22-10) needed all of it.
Saturday represented their seventh straight victory and also probably their biggest letdown win of the season.
If it were any opponent other than the Wizards (5-24), the Knicks would’ve probably succumbed while being outrebounded, outhustled and appearing gassed on the second night of a back-to-back.
They were, in other words, saved by Brunson.
The point guard also collected nine assists, shot 18 of 31 and almost single-handedly led a comeback in the final minute of regulation.
With the Knicks trailing by five with 57 seconds remaining, Brunson knocked down an and-1 off a change-of-direction dribble in the lane.
On the following New York possession, he pulled off a similar move and nailed a floater to tie the score with 11.9 seconds remaining.
The Wizards, with an opportunity for the win, ended up with a Bilal Coulibaly isolation against OG Anunoby. Predictably, it turned into a bricked shot.
The Knicks secured the rebound with 0.8 seconds remaining, called a timeout and nearly pulled off a perfect inbound pass under the basket to Karl-Anthony Towns, who didn’t quite gain control of the ball and threw up an off-balance shot that didn’t touch the rim.
Overtime.
The extra period was also nip and tuck, but the Knicks led throughout and nailed their free throws down the stretch.
They averted a terrible loss, but the box score explained the potential toll down the line.
Towns logged 44 minutes with 30 points and 14 rebounds. He was Brunson’s best support on offense. Mikal Bridges played 47 minutes. Anunoby turned in 42.
It should’ve been good fortune to face the Wizards, who not only entered with the East’s worst record but were missing their two top scorers because of injuries.
DNPs are plaguing the NBA. In three of New York’s past five games, the opponent didn’t have its best two players — New Orleans (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram), Orlando (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner) and Washington (Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole).
But that hasn’t been a problem for the Knicks, whose starters have missed just a combined three games. Brunson was listed as questionable with a sore calf for Saturday but predictably suited up.
And the Knicks were lucky he did.
