The Knicks dominate the Wizards from start to finish to push their winning streak to three

The Knicks won their third straight as they defeated the Washington Wizards 134-106 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Here are some takeaways…

– Washington entered the night ranked as one of the worst defensive teams in basketball, and the Knicks took advantage of that from start to finish. New York posted a season-high 40 points in the first quarter, dished out 11 assists and shot a whopping 58 percent from the field, including knocking down seven threes to open a double-digit advantage.

– With the big early lead the second night in a back-to-back, Tom Thibodeau decided to stick with his extended rotation as Pacome Dadiet saw the floor as part of the second unit, and the young rookie responded nicely by knocking down a pair of threes to help start the second quarter on a 15-4 run.

– New York continued to finish a dominant first half, scoring 73 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 53 percent shooting from behind while picking up 20 assists. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the first half came then Jericho Sims brought the MSG crowd and his teammates on the bench to their feet by dunking Kyle Kuzma on a poster with a violent slap.

– It was much of the same coming out of the break as the Knicks just continued to have their way with the Wizards’ non-existent defense, opening things up on a 16-4 run. AND Anunoby had a bit of a quiet first half in the scoring department, but he put together seven straight points in the third quarter to help him finish with 16 on the night.

– Jalen Brunson finished the third quarter with one of his famous scores, knocking down three straight threes, one of which was a four-point play, to help him bounce back nicely from a quiet night against Brooklyn. The All-Star point guard had 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting and a season-high 11 assists to give him his second straight double-double.

– Thibodeau sent out an entire second unit to close things out early in the fourth, but he wasn’t too happy when Washington opened the quarter with 10 straight points. Backup PG Cameron Payne however, helped settle things as he knocked down three more threes to help keep the big advantage and close out the third straight win.

– With the big lead, Thibodeau could get Karl Anthony-Towns some much-needed rest late in the second half after his fall in the fourth quarter in Sunday’s win over the Nets. However, the big man continued his spectacular start to the season, putting together his ninth double-double (26 points, 11 rebounds) over 25 minutes.

– The Knicks are certainly riding high after finishing the night with a season-high 134 points while shooting 56 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point land, and dished out 37 assists.

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

New York dominated Washington from top to bottom, but the star point guard led the way with a game-high 26 points and his second straight double-double.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Knicks will look to keep their winning ways going as they begin a three-game road trip when they take on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at 10 p.m