A Knicks fan on X wrote to Josh Hart earlier in the week that he wasn’t going to post again until the Knicks guard scored 30 points.
Hart responded: “That ain’t my job brother. See you on the other side.”
He added a clenched fist and a laughing emoji.
Hart was right. His job isn’t to score a lot of points.
It’s to help close out a game — as he did on Christmas.
Hart’s two offensive rebounds in the final 17.1 seconds finished off the Spurs and sent the Knicks to a hard-fought 117-114 win at the Garden on Wednesday.
“Plays like that, that’s my job,” Hart said with a laugh in recalling the interaction on social media.
It was the typical all-out effort performance from Hart.
In 38 minutes, he did a little bit of everything: 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals.
He shot 4-for-8 from the field, including a big 3-pointer during the Knicks’ game-turning 23-9 run in the fourth quarter.
His biggest contribution came on that final possession.
The Knicks held a three-point lead. Hart got to the rebound of a Jalen Brunson miss with 17.1 seconds to go.
Still, the Spurs had a chance to get even if they could get another stop.
But there was Hart again after OG Anunoby missed a 3-pointer.
The clock ran out.
“Just go out there and try to make a play,” Hart recalled. “That possession is the definition of my job and why I’m here: To make those energy, extra-effort plays.”
Hart is enjoying another strong season doing the little things.
He’s averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
On Christmas, he was the Knicks’ closer thanks to his hustle.
“Just motor, man. He’s just always active, and that activity allows him to get some really good rebounds,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Shout-out to Josh. Man, those are big rebounds.”
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