Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
That’s what the Knicks record remains at Madison Square Garden this season as they extended their home mark to 7-0 Tuesday with an easy 133-120 win over a beleaguered Memphis Grizzlies team.
With the win, the Knicks are 7-3 overall and have won five straight. Their 7-0 mark at home is their best start at Madison Square Garden since Mike Woodson’s team opened 10-0 in 2012-13.
The Knicks have two more games left in this homestand, beginning with Wednesday night’s game against Orlando. Not only has the current streak been impressive, it’s also shown tremendous growth especially on offense as the team has adjusted to the system of new coach Mike Brown.
“I’ve said this before. We had lost three in a row and a lot of people thought the sky was falling. We hadn’t been together long,” Brown said earlier this week. “I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t know when to put Josh [Hart] in, when to take him out. I didn’t know when to put Mitch [Robinson] in, when to take him out. I was still figuring out our rotations and how we’re going to play and all that other stuff. So, we just need time.”
It was the third straight game the Knicks have scored more than 130 points — the first time in franchise history.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32 points and 10 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 points with 13 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 22 points.
The Grizzlies (4-8) were led by Jaren Jackson’s 19 points. Ja Morant added 16 points and 10 assists.
For the second straight game, the Knicks opened with a 40-point fourth quarter. The Knicks, who scored 40 in a win over the Nets on Sunday, jumped out to a 42-30 lead after the first period Tuesday. By contrast, the Knicks scored 40 points in the first quarter just once last season in a November game against the Nets.
The Knicks continued to lead by double digits all the way through the second half.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.