The Knicks opened their back-to-back stint with a victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, beating them by a final score of 128-113.
New York will now have to host the Clippers less than 24 hours after going to sleep with that dub, hoping to win three consecutive games for the first time since the Knicks last did between Feb. 26 and March 2.
Here’s what Coach Thibs and a few Knickerbockers had to say before and after yesterday’s affair.
Tom Thibodeau
On Josh Hart’s impact on the Knicks play:
“It’s hard to describe what he is to the team. At times he’s a facilitator, a rebounder, a pace guy, he’s a hustle guy. And at the end, he’s done a number of things to help you win.
“The effort plays, that unites and inspires the team.”
On Hart breaking a triple-double franchise record:
“Any time you get a record, it’s pretty special because of the greatness of this league.
“To do what he’s doing, it’s a testament to what he’s put into it.”
On Kevin McCullar’s debut and hard work:
“Kevin’s worked extremely hard and has been through a lot. His rehab has been long, arduous and he’s worked his way through that. Then he made his way into the G League and put together some good games. This is his first opportunity but I think there’s an appreciation for the work that he’s put in.
“He’s a great kid. We’re happy for him. The team is always first to everybody. We’re proud of him.”
On managing minutes and handling player rest:
“There’s a number of different ways you can pace your team. I think oftentimes people will look at minutes played but they don’t understand what’s going on in practice. They don’t understand what you’re doing for recovery.
“There’s a lot of things that occur. Maybe there’s not contact in practice, maybe a guy has a sub in practice. Maybe a guy is not doing practice. There’s a lot that goes into it.
“I think you lean on the medical people. You lean on the players and you have an understanding of what it’s going to take.”
On different approaches to rotations across the NBA:
“I think each team is different. I think everybody has to run their own race. If you look at it, some teams are playing more guys, some are playing less guys. There’s no right or wrong. There’s what you feel is best for your team, what gives you the best chance to have the most success.
“You look at teams like Denver—what [Nikola] Jokic is doing. [Kevin] Durant is doing what he’s doing. What [Jayson] Tatum is doing. There’s a lot of guys that are playing 36, 37 minutes.
“Whatever your team is, you have to trust there’s an understanding that goes into how to pace a team.”
On Mitchell Robinson’s availability:
“We’re watching, monitoring how he’s progressing. There are certain guidelines we’re trying to follow and then we’ll go from there. So we’ll see how it goes.”
On Deuce McBride’s groin injury:
“Just day to day. Just see how he’s responding.”
Josh Hart
On his team’s slow start against Dallas:
“We didn’t start the game like we’re supposed to with energy and physicality. We knew we had to pick it up from the first half.”
On breaking the Knicks triple-double record and his NBA journey:
“I didn’t envision this. This is more than I ever dreamed of. The Lord opens doors that we don’t even know are possible.”
On his triple-double record:
“Means I played at least nine good games out of 60-whatever so far.”
On sharing a triple-double game with Karl-Anthony Towns:
“I was in L.A. when [James and Ball] did it, and that sounded really dope. Now it’s full circle and I’m in that same situation with [Towns], and it was really dope. It was a blessing.”
“It means KAT went out there and passed the damn ball.”
On McCullar’s readiness:
“He stayed ready, stayed working, and when he got his opportunity, he was able to go out and execute. He’s continuing to put the work in knowing that we’re going to call on him a little bit more.”
On giving the game ball to Kevin McCullar Jr.:
“For me that’s an easy decision. That record is cool and a blessing, but at the end of the day that record’s going to get broken at some point. Hopefully, later rather than sooner. But that’s going to get broken.
“Getting your first NBA points, nobody can take that away from you. It’s important that he had that, got the game ball for that. That’s an easy decision for me.”
On playing at MSG and team camaraderie:
“Just blessings. We have a great group of guys. To do it here at MSG, it’s just a blessing to do it in front of these fans.”
On looking ahead to the next game:
“Just hope we can carry that for tomorrow.”
On Josh Hart’s triple-doubles:
“[Hart’s] got nine this season; I’ve got one. He’s doing a much better job of getting triple-doubles. But the way he does it is special. It’s always with effort and for the betterment of the team.
“I’m just happy there’s a way to see on the stat sheet the impact he’s having on the game. He sacrifices so much for the team, so I’m happy that he can have this moment.
“Josh Jokic!”
On winning while making history:
“It means a lot that we got it in a win. At the end of the day, New York appreciates the wins more than the triple-doubles, so it’s perfect for the city that they got a ‘W’ on this day.”
On his playmaking during the game against a depleted Dallas team:
“My teammates were cutting and I want to reward them for making those cuts, you know? So the way to instill confidence in the team to cut is you’ve gotta hit them when they’re open, and I wanted to be able to be aggressive today in my playmaking.”
On the need for improvement despite Brunson’s absence:
“We’ve got to get better now. I told all y’all before, we need to continue to improve every single day so when he comes back, we reintegrate him into the team and we’re a better version than the one he got injured playing with, that he left.”
“Josh is a good dude. That’s my vet…He’s shown me nothing but love since I got here. I appreciate him doing that”
–– Kevin McCullar Jr. who scored his 1st NBA points gets game ball from Josh Hart who broke the Knicks triple-double record for a season pic.twitter.com/eglOxaQ1ko
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 26, 2025
Kevin McCullar Jr.
On scoring his first NBA points:
“When I checked in, I was kind of in a fog. Like, I’m really about to do it. And get in there and that’s what I worked for my whole life. So when I got out there and did it, it was relief for sure. Knowing that I’m back out there and competing and now got to keep building on it.”
On how it felt to finally score:
“It felt amazing. It felt good. As a kid that’s what you dream of doing, so to go out there and finally get in the game and be able to score my first bucket was big.”
On reflecting on his journey:
“It’s been rough, but I kept my head on straight. Everybody has been supporting me here and I’m just glad that I’m back playing now. Adversity makes you who you are and everybody goes through it in different ways of life. … Growing up, that’s all I’ve known is playing basketball.”
Clyde: “OG’s bleeding man look. The officials haven’t seen…haven’t called time”Breen: “He wiped it pretty quickly. (OG hits 3)…It’s good–OG Anunoby with 30”
Clyde: “That’ll stop the bleeding” pic.twitter.com/YcEoLI7Ajf
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 26, 2025
