Josh Hart came off the bench for the 1st time all season in New York’s Game 3 win vs. Indiana.
With New York down 2-0 heading into Game 3 on Sunday night in Indiana, Josh Hart knew something had to change for his squad to avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole. Basketball fans everywhere, especially those who bleed orange and blue, know how much coach Tom Thibodeau loves to rely on his starting unit, so the adjustment he made to his first five on the floor may have come as a surprise.
But Hart, known for his tenacity and willingness to do whatever his team needs on any given night, revealed that his move to the bench in favor of Mitchell Robinson was “kind of [his] decision.”
“It doesn’t matter how many points you score. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you play. It doesn’t matter if you start,” Hart said postgame.
“It depends on if you win. And at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing for me.”
The eight-year veteran guard has always played above his 6-foot-4, 215-lb frame. He’s relentless on defense and makes hustle plays that don’t necessarily show up in the box score, just like he did in the Knicks’ first win of the Eastern Conference Finals two days ago.
Hart finished with 8 points on just 1-for-3 shooting in his 34 minutes, adding 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. New York got off to a sluggish start in the first half, and his -16 plus-minus rating across 18 minutes marked the worst figure among nine Knicks to see the court during that time.
However, with Jalen Brunson picking up four fouls through the first two quarters, Hart did his part in swinging momentum in the Knicks’ favor just before halftime. Over the final three minutes in the second frame, he made the only shot he attempted, grabbed all three of New York’s rebounds, including one offensively, and dished out an assist to cut Indiana’s 20-point lead to 13 heading into the break.
The resiliency of Hart and the Knicks was on full display in the second half. He compiled four points, six huge rebounds, two assists and a steal, earning a game-best +21 in 16 minutes. He played the entire fourth quarter, and although he didn’t log a single field goal attempt, he recorded a quarter-best +16 plus-minus thanks to stellar defense and some critical rebounding.
Hart plays with an intensity and basketball IQ that makes him one of the best rebounding guards in the entire NBA. His 9.6 rpg during the regular season ranked 20th in the league, ahead of taller players like Evan Mobley, Jayson Tatum and Chet Holmgren. And in Game 3, as he’s done routinely throughout the postseason, the former Villanova standout came up with three clutch boards and sank all four of his free-throws to seal the 106-100 victory for New York.
With the score 100-98 and under 30 seconds remaining, Myles Turner hoisted up a 3-pointer that bounced between the rim and out. Hart read it all the way and skied for the crucial rebound between Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith, who fouled him with 19.6 ticks left. All that pressure in the moment, with the Knicks’ Playoffs lives on the line facing an 3-0 series deficit, didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest, as he calmly drained both freebies to make it 102-98 New York.
After two free-throws for Tyrese Haliburton and Brunson made it a four-point contest, Hart secured the final board on a missed 3 from Siakam, then didn’t bat an eye while making two more free throws.
Josh Hart epitomizes the mentality that the Knicks have shown over the course of the 2025 Playoffs. We’ll see if New York can bring that same locked-in mindset tonight for Game 4 (8 ET, TNT), with the opportunity to make this a 2-2 series before the East Finals shift back to Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
