Knicks Whack the Wizards to Improve to 2-0 in Preseason

Smothering Defense + KAT/JB pick-and-rolls = Easy Win

Final Score: Knicks 117 - Wizards 94
Preseason Record: 2-0

You never want to read too much into a preseason contest. That is especially true when the opponent is a putrid Wizards team that offers little resistance on either end of the floor.  

However, last night at the Garden, we saw glimpses of what Knicks fans hope will become staples of a dominant 2024-25 campaign.

First and foremost, the Knicks' defense completely suffocated the Wizards all evening. The prowess of Dynamic Duo of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby was on full display. If you are an opponent, the "Wingstop" combo is a nightmare matchup.

Once again, Bridges started the game by hounding the opposing point guard, often pressing the ball a full 94 feet. After the ball advances past halfcourt, then you have to deal with the long arms and quick hands of Bridges, OG and Hart poking at the rock anytime it is on the deck in their vicinity. As far as the backline is concerned, although Karl-Anthony Towns is known more for his offense than defense, he's a seven-footer capable of protecting the rim.

Add it all up, and you have the ingredients that Chef Thibs hopes to bake into an elite defensive unit. Through two games, the Knicks are allowing just 95.8 points per 100 possessions, the second-best DefRtg among all teams that have played at least twice this preseason.

Incredibly, New York racked up 16 steals and five blocks and forced a mind-boggling 30 turnovers in Wednesday's win. The last time the Knicks forced an opponent to commit 30+ turnovers in a regular-season game was January of 1989 (Gerald Wilkins was NY's leading scorer that night, and Patrick Ewing blocked nine shots in 36 minutes).

Again, it's important to note that this was an exhibition game and that the Wizards are starting Jordan Poole at PG, but the foundation for a dominant NY defense is there. These new Knicks have only had two week's worth of practices together. Wednesday was Bridges' first game at the Garden, and this is OG's first training camp with New York.

Wednesday marked KAT's MSG debut as well. After an inefficient offensive performance in the preseason opener vs. Charlotte, Towns also struggled with his shot in the first half against the Wizards, shooting just 2-of-9 from the floor.

However, right from the start of the third quarter, the Knicks began spamming Towns-Brunson pick-and-rolls, and the Wizards had no answers whatsoever.

When Jonas Valanciunas stepped up to prevent Brunson from floating in a short jumper, JB dished to KAT underneath the rim for a layup.

When Brunson’s defender tagged Towns to prevent a pass and Valanciunas dropped deep into the paint to protect the rim, Brunson cashed in a 17-footer.

A few possessions later, Towns set a brush screen near the logo, and JB feeds KAT darting to the rim for an easy bucket.

And as we know, Towns can also kill you from downtown, so NY mixed in some pick-and-pop action. When the big dropped into the paint, Brunson found KAT for a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

These four possessions all came within three minutes of each other. It was our first taste of the two-man game that got Knicks fans so excited when they first learned KAT was coming home.