Karl-Anthony Towns delivered his best performance of the young season, posting 33 points and 13 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 119-102 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The All-Star forward dominated from start to finish, helping New York improve to 4-3 overall and remain perfect at home at 4-0. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby added 16 points apiece, while Jordan Clarkson provided 15 off the bench. Josh Hart finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, marking his third double-double of the season.
Washington, which fell to 1-6, was led by Alex Sarr’s 19 points. Bilal Coulibaly, Corey Kispert, and Kyshawn George each added 15, but the Wizards were outscored 62-48 in the second half after a strong start.
The visitors opened hot, hitting 13 of their first 18 shots and taking a 32-22 lead early in the second quarter. Tre Johnson’s jumper pushed the margin to 10, their largest of the night.
New York’s response came quickly. The Knicks went on a 16-3 run to grab a 50-41 lead, sparked by Towns’ inside scoring and Brunson’s midrange accuracy.
Washington countered with a 13-0 burst capped by Coulibaly’s four-point play, briefly regaining control. But Towns answered with his own four-point play in the final second of the half, sending the Knicks into the break ahead 57-54.
New York took over in the third quarter. Leading 74-65 midway through the period, the Knicks scored the next 17 points to blow the game open. The Wizards went scoreless for nearly five minutes before Marvin Bagley’s free throws stopped the drought, but by then the deficit had ballooned to 94-66 after Hart’s corner three-pointer.
The Knicks shot 46.8% from the field and held a 49-44 rebounding edge. Their bench outscored Washington’s reserves 68-58, with Clarkson and Hart providing consistent production.
For the Wizards, turnovers and defense remained issues. They committed 20 turnovers leading to 25 New York points and allowed the Knicks to outscore them 58-42 in the paint.
New York now turns its attention to a Wednesday matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns’ former team. The Wizards continue their road trip with a visit to Boston to face the Celtics that same night.
