Villanova in the Pros: Josh Hart Posts Triple-Double

The New York Knicks rolled to a 116-95 home win over the Miami Heat on Monday, March 17 and as per usual, Villanova alumni played a massive role in the victory.

Josh Hart posted his eighth triple double of the season, doing a little bit of everything with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals, setting games highs in each of the final three categories.

Fellow Villanova national champion Mikal Bridges also put up a strong performance, scoring 28 points in 32 minutes. While it’s been an up-and-down season for Bridges as he settled in with New York — especially given the lofty expectations he faces after the Knicks acquired him for five first round draft picks in the offseason — the eighth-year wing has played some of his best basketball of the season in recent weeks, clearing the 25-point barrier for the second time in three games.

That’s a milestone he’s reached just 11 times in 67 games this season… but Bridges has stepped up big time in the absence of the third of the Knicks’ Wildcats trio, Jalen Brunson, currently out for at least another week with an ankle sprain.

New York currently occupies the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 43-24 record, possessing five games of cushion with 15 games left to play… but with the postseason fast approaching, they’ll need Brunson back at full capacity sooner than later.

Elsewhere in the NBA, Donte DiVincenzo dropped 19 points for the Timberwolves in a close loss, while Collin Gillespie picked up the first start of his two-year NBA career, scoring three points in 16 minutes for the Suns.