It was a double triple-double for the record books.
In dispatching the shorthanded Mavericks 128-113 on Tuesday, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart became the first Knicks duo ever to complete triple-doubles in the same game.
And they did it with plenty of time to spare.
Towns clinched his triple-double with an assist early in the fourth quarter, finishing his stat-stuffing evening with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Hart completed his part with a rebound in the third quarter — checking out with 16 points, 12 boards, 11 assists — as the Knicks pummeled the Mavericks with ball movement and offense.
“It’s great,” Hart said. “It means KAT went out there and passed the damn ball and got guys involved like we know he can do. It’s cool.
“I think I was in LA [with the Lakers] four, five years ago when LeBron and Lonzo [Ball] did it, and watching that I thought that was something really dope. Now full circle, I’m in that same situation with KAT. It’s really dope, it’s a blessing. Hopefully we can carry that on and do more.”
OG Anunoby’s exquisite performance — 35 points, 15-for-24 shooting — was overshadowed by the triple-doubles.
And Hart’s was historic by itself.
It represented his ninth triple-double of the season, breaking Clyde Frazier’s 56-year-old franchise record.
Frazier, the player most synonymous with the Knicks, coincidentally turns 80 on Saturday, with a celebration planned by MSG Networks for the broadcast that night against the Blazers.
“[Hart’s] got 9 [triple-doubles this season]. I got one,” Towns said. “So he’s doing a much better job than me at getting triple-doubles. But the way he does it is special. It’s all energy and effort, and it’s for the betterment of the team. I’m just happy Josh gets stats on the sheet that show the impact he’s making on the game, because I feel like there’s much more stats that don’t show up on the stat sheet that he does for our team. So I’m happy he’s having this moment where the effort, the sacrifice and the work he puts in for our team to be the best version of ourselves, it’s showing up on the stat sheet so he can get his respect, his accolades and all the cheers going on for him because he deserves it.”
Towns only twice previously recorded a triple-double, both with the Timberwolves, most recently in 2022.
“My teammates were cutting and I want to reward them for making those cuts, you know?” Towns said. “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.”
Although a double triple-double was a first in New York, it’s not as rare throughout the NBA.
In fact, Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook did it this season for the Nuggets.
“Josh Jokic,” Towns called Hart from across the locker room.
The Mavericks (35-38) were easy to pad the stats against.
They entered MSG as a shell of a team, with only nine active players. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving were in street clothes.
Luka Doncic was somewhere else with the Lakers.
The Knicks (45-26) were also banged up without Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson.
But Tuesday still was scheduled as an easy victory.
The Knicks had two days off after a home game Saturday against the awful Wizards, while the Mavericks were operating on the second night of a back-to-back following Monday’s win in Brooklyn.
Davis played at Barclays Center, then sat at MSG.
Still, the Knicks found themselves in a tight battle for the opening half.
Naji Marshall, who entered averaging 13.1 points, feasted on New York’s defense with 28 in those opening two quarters.
The teams entered the break even at 68.
Then the Knicks stomped the Mavericks in the third quarter — allowing just 15 points in that period — and cruised behind their two stat-stuffers.