Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns combined to make Knicks history in Tuesday night’s win over the Mavericks, as the two became the first duo in franchise history to record triple-doubles in the same game.
For Hart, he accomplished more team history in the winning effort, as his 16-point triple-double was his ninth triple-double of the season, which passed Walt Frazier for the most in a single season in Knicks history.
But it wasn’t Hart walking out of Madison Square Garden with the game ball on Tuesday. That was saved for Kevin McCullar Jr., who knocked in his first NBA points before Hart made sure he got the game ball for his memorable night.
“Josh, he’s a good dude, man,” McCullar said. “That’s like my vet on the team. He’s shown me nothing but love since I got here. I appreciate him doing that.”
For Hart, he didn’t hesitate when considering who should get to bring the game ball home.
“For me, that’s an easy decision,” Hart said. “That record is cool and a blessing, but it's inevitably gonna get broken at some point…Getting your first NBA points, no one can take that away from you. It’s important he had that and got the game ball for that.”
It has been a struggle for Hart at times this season, as he has battled lingering knee troubles and gone through shooting woes, but overall, he has continued to make contributions across the stat sheet while remaining an energy burst on the floor. Tuesday was no different.
“It's just a blessing. I got a great group of guys,” Hart said. “Great, high-character group of guys. It means I at least played nine good games out of 82 so far or whatever we’re at. But it’s just a blessing.”