PORTLAND — Josh Hart looked great in his return and the Knicks outplayed the Blazers down the stretch — all with Karl-Anthony Towns benched — in a 123-114 victory Sunday afternoon.
Hart logged 31 minutes with 18 points and six assists in his first game since suffering an ankle sprain on Christmas. His injection of pace and energy was a difference maker, including on a steal plus breakaway layup with 2:55 remaining to give the Knicks a 10-point lead.
His teammates also made plays in crunch time, with the exception of KAT, the struggling All-Star center, who was subbed out with 9:24 remaining and didn’t play again.
Towns, who finished with 20 points and 22 boards in 28 minutes, watched heroics from Jalen Brunson (26 points, eight assists) and OG Anunoby (24 points, seven rebounds), as the Knicks won the final five minutes, 20-10.
It felt like an important result for a struggling Knicks team, which had lost five of their last six and were missing the presence of Hart, their glue guy.
In his comeback, Hart’s impact was immediate.
He scored eight points in the opening four minutes, as the Blazers dared Hart to shoot 3s by leaving him wide open on the perimeter.
Hart changed the pace for the Knicks offense, injecting speed and transition opportunities.
Since the Blazers used a center to defend Hart, the Knicks forward was frequently able to bring up the ball unchallenged, allowing Brunson to rest his legs and help close out the Blazers.
