Josh Hart didn’t have to say a word. He gave the Garden plenty to scream about it.
Following a brutal scoreless effort in Saturday’s loss at Golden State, featuring Hart engaging in a shouting match with coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks fan favorite served a lengthy string of reminders why he’s earned such status, producing his eighth triple-double of the season in Monday’s 116-95 win over the Heat at Madison Square Garden.
Hart, who finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and one block, tied Knicks legend Walt Frazier for the single-season franchise record for triple-doubles.
In their return from a five-game West Coast trip, the Knicks (43-24) opened their first of five straight games against sub-.500 teams by earning their third win in the past four games, putting away the Heat with a 41-15 third-quarter beatdown.
Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and seven rebounds.
The Heat (29-39) fell for the eighth straight game — losing their past four games by an average of more than 20 points — and are now 4-15 since their messy breakup with Jimmy Butler was finalized with his trade to Golden State.
Initially, the Heat looked better equipped to handle Butler’s absence than the Knicks were without Jalen Brunson, who missed his fifth straight game with an ankle injury.
Miami opened as the aggressor, playing with the confidence of the group that knocked the Knicks from the playoffs two years ago.
The Heat scored the game’s first 12 points — getting eight from Duncan Robinson, who surpassed his combined scoring output of the previous two games — as the Knicks went more than four minutes before scoring their first points.
The Knicks deficit grew to 13 in the opening minute of the second quarter.
Then, Towns took over, morphing into the do-it-all big man who scouts began salivating over as a New Jersey teenager.
After scoring two points in the first quarter, the five-time All-Star went on a personal 15-0 run in 3 minutes and 12 seconds, reviving the crowd after the slow start.
Towns dominated inside and out, following his first dunk with a 29-footer.
After Hart found Towns in transition for another dunk, Towns returned to the perimeter, drilling back-to-back 3’s to give their first lead, 33-31, with 7:30 remaining in the half.
Towns, though, would not score again before the break — and the Knicks would attempt just two free in the first half — while Tyler Herro put up 16 first-half points, giving Miami a 49-47 halftime lead.
Less than two minutes into the second half, momentum shifted for good, as Bridges went on a 7-0 run to put the Knicks up double-digits.
The defense did the rest, holding Miami to 6-of-23 3-point shooting, while finishing with 12 steals.
“They’ve been defending,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “That’s the story right now, holding teams down every single night.”
