Knicks guard Josh Hart was asked after the win on Monday about the defensive surge lately. "JB's not out there," Hart said, at first with a straight face, but then breaking into a smile. Indeed, offensive star Jalen Brunson--Hart's college teammate from Villanova and a close friend--has not been out there for the Knicks.

The New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a dominant 133-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. While the victory helped the Knicks improve to 41-23 on the season, the team’s recent defensive efforts became a topic of discussion postgame.

We have reached the strangest possible stage of the Knicks season. They entered Tuesday’s game against the Warriors at the Garden with a 40-20 record, which translates to roughly 55-27 over a full season, which would be the most wins in a season since 1997, which … (“That’s nice. They’re also 0-7 against the Thunder, Cavaliers and Celtics .”)