Hart gives Knicks zero points, 17 rebounds and great defense

PHILADELPHIA – After providing an offensive spark in the first three games of this series, Josh Hart endured a nightmarish shooting day, missing all seven of his field goal attempts and four of his eight free throws. But when the Knicks escaped from Wells Fargo Center with a hard-fought 97-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, it was Hart who most Knicks singled out as a big factor in the win.

“I think that’s been the story of this season,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And I think when you look back at everything that happened with guys going out and new guys coming in and whoever came in, you just had to get the job done. Know what your job is. Do your job. To carry out.”

It was because it was a typical Hart performance, offering a little bit of everything except shooting accuracy. He grabbed 17 rebounds, five on the offensive glass, blocked three shots and provided a huge energy boost even as he played most of the fourth quarter with five fouls.

“I mean, I had to do something,” Hart said. “I had five turnovers, didn’t make a shot, didn’t hit any free throws, missed two free throws late that were big. So it just wasn’t there offensively today.

“But when you have that, you have to try to find ways to still make an impact in the game.

And for me that was bouncing back and pushing. Offensive rebound, trying to gain extra possession. Looked athletic on a few blocks. So that was fun. But yeah, when you’re not shooting, you have to find other ways to influence the game.”

“No matter what’s going on when he shoots the ball, his effort is always going to be there,” Jalen Brunson said. “That’s the one thing we all expect and we all know we’re going to see every night. So it’s a credit to him that he has impacted the game when the offense isn’t really working. We always have his back, no matter what.”

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