That’s what championship teams do.

The New York Knicks walked into Capital One Arena and did not mess around with the lowly Washington Wizards. They quickly built a double-digit lead by the midway mark of the first quarter and never let the gap close within single digits again, as they cruised to a 132-101 win that felt over by halftime.

Even more impressive than the 31-point final margin is the process that led to the result. The Knicks had the perfect game plan to ensure they took care of business, and they executed it to a T.

Just like we emphasized in our game preview, the Knicks exploited the Washington defense’s tendency to foul, finishing the game with 27 free-throw attempts (five more than their season average). New York attacked this weakness early and often, racking up a whopping 17 free throw attempts in the first half.

The Knicks also did a fantastic job of playing to the Wizards’ offensive strengths and weaknesses. The Knicks took away the rim attempts that Washington feasts on, forcing the Wizards into the floater attempts that they struggle with. The end result: a brutal 43.6% shooting performance from two-point range, culminating in just 101 points (71 through three quarters).

New York is playing high-level basketball on both ends. They’re employing smart game plans that optimize their own strengths and exploit the weaknesses of opponents, and the players are executing.

Tonight, on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Knicks’ execution will have to be as pristine as ever if they wish to extend their winning streak to eight games. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are coming to the Garden, fresh off a close loss in Detroit last night.

Here are the Knicks’ keys to taking down the Nuggets.

1. Don’t get cute with the basketball; ensure a low turnover rate

The Nuggets have the best offense in the NBA (122.1 offensive rating), and that’s with Jokic missing a sizable chunk of the year. Most of their weaknesses lie on the other end, where they rank 25th in defensive rating.

Of their many issues on defense, Denver’s most pressing problem is a complete inability to take the ball away. They rank last in opponent turnover rate (10.6%), last in opponent turnovers per game (11.9), and 29th in steals per game (6.9).

This is a major problem for the Nuggets because their offense is so dominant in transition. Denver ranks fourth in the NBA with 1.18 points per possession in transition, but they generate the 29th-most transition possessions per game (16.8), a direct reflection of their inability to force turnovers.

This issue has been the root of many Denver losses this year. When the Nuggets force fewer than 10 turnovers, something they have done a shocking 14 times, they are just 5-9, including a 2-7 mark with Jokic in the lineup. They aren’t the same team without opponent turnovers to get their offense out in the open court, and with the way they’ve played defensively this year, it’s been a consistent roadblock.

As long as the Nuggets force at least 10 turnovers (which is still very low), they’re 28-9. That includes a 17-2 mark if they force at least 14 turnovers.

For this reason, the Knicks must emphasize playing a safe style of offense tonight. As long as they play methodically and prioritize taking care of the basketball, the Nuggets will rarely take the ball away, which will allow the Knicks to get a ton of shots up over 48 minutes, leading to an accumulation of points that Denver will struggle to keep up with if they’re not getting out in transition.

The Knicks are excellent at protecting the ball, ranking sixth-best with a 12.0% turnover rate. This is the biggest mismatch in their favor tonight, and their game plan must be built around maximizing it.

2. Get to the basket, don’t settle for jumpers

The Nuggets can play some solid defense on outside shots. Take a look at their allowed field goal percentages in the following ranges:

  • Three-point: 35.0% (7th)
  • 16 feet-to-3PT: 38.6% (11th)
  • 10-to-16 feet: 41.5% (5th)

If you settle for jumpers against the Nuggets, you’re playing right into their strengths. For all of their faults defensively, they are adept at forcing bricks from 10-feet extended.

Get inside of 10 feet, though, and Denver bleeds points.

Within three feet of the basket, the Nuggets allow opponents to shoot 73.6% from the field, ranking fourth-worst in the NBA, ahead of only the Kings, Jazz, and Lakers.

You can also punish the Nuggets in the floater range, as they rank seventh-worst with a 47.1% conversion rate allowed from 3-to-10 feet.

The main culprit? Nikola Jokic.

The three-time MVP is an all-time great offensive talent, but he can be exploited on defense. In 2025-26, Jokic is allowing 5.6 made field goals per game within 10 feet of the basket, ranking second-worst in the league, according to NBA.com. He allows 62.1% shooting on these attempts.

To be clear, Jokic is not a total zero on defense. As shown by his on-off data at Cleaning The Glass, he makes a major positive impact on defense through his defensive rebounding and his ability to avoid fouling. Opponents get far fewer offensive rebounds and free throws when Jokic is on the court.

However, throughout Jokic’s career, opponents have consistently shot much better from the field when Jokic is on the court, and that’s because he gives up a high shooting percentage as a one-on-one defender near the basket.

This puts the spotlight on one Knick in particular.

Karl-Anthony Towns has played excellent all-around basketball during the Knicks’ winning streak, averaging a +14.4 plus-minus, but he still has not scored at least 25 points since Dec. 27, going 18 straight games without exceeding the mark that he averaged in his first season as a Knick (24.4).

Tonight is the night for Towns to return to form as a scorer. Jokic is ripe for the picking around the basket.

The Knicks swept the Nuggets last season, with Towns scoring 30 points in a 145-118 win at the Garden and 14 points in a 122-112 win in Denver. More telling than his scoring totals, though, is that Towns shot 18 for 27 (66.7%) across the two games, including an absurd 16 for 21 (76.2%) on two-pointers.

I’m challenging Towns to shoot at least 15 two-pointers tonight. Given Jokic’s defensive play this year and how Towns did against him inside the arc last year, there are oodles of points to be had with this matchup.

3. Hold them to one shot

There isn’t much you can do to stop the Nuggets’ offense besides pray that they miss shots.

With Jokic on the court, it’s a near-certainty that Denver will get the best shot every time down. And when you put him on a team that ranks first in three-point shooting (39.8%), there are not many answers.

The main goal against Denver’s offense is to limit the number of shots they put up. Almost every shot that goes up will be a good one, but if you make sure that they don’t take many shots, you can keep their point total within striking distance for your offense.

Offensive rebounding is the Nuggets’ lone weakness on that end of the court. They have the highest effective field goal percentage (57.5%), the third-lowest turnover rate (11.4%), and the fourth-highest free throw rate (.240), but they are just 24th in offensive rebounding (23.2%).

Crashing the defensive glass must be the Knicks’ priority tonight. Obviously, they want to contest Denver’s shots as best as possible, but the main focus is to make sure they never get a second opportunity. As long as each miss results in the end of a possession, the Nuggets shouldn’t reach a point total that New York cannot surpass on the other end.

This key goes hand in hand with our first key about the Knicks needing to minimize turnovers. Crashing the defensive glass is the opposite approach to sprinting out in transition. By focusing on defensive rebounds rather than run-and-gun transition play, the Knicks can bog down the pace and keep the game in the half-court, helping them run a methodical offense that will minimize turnovers.

When the Nuggets’ shots go up tonight, five bodies need to dive to the basket.