10 best performances at MSG in 2019 by New York Knicks, opponents

6. Dennis Smith Jr.’s farewell triple-double

In his very last game in a Dallas Mavericks uniform, Dennis Smith Jr. decided to put on a show in Madison Square Garden. He finished the game with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists for his second career triple-double.

The New York Knicks have played a lot of bad games during the 2019 calendar year, possibly standing out in that not so pleasant area. But in that blowout loss against Dallas, nothing went their way.

The following day, he received the news that he was about to spend much more time on the floor with the guys from New York. Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee went the other way around in a trade that signaled a new era in New York.

5. Trae Young scores 42 but falls short

Here’s a game that may still be in the short-term memory part of your cerebral cortex. On Dec. 17, the Atlanta Hawks visited The Big Apple for their matchup against New York.

That game was without a doubt the best game the New York Knicks played all year long. Scoring 143 points on 55.8 percent shooting from the field and 46.4 percent from 3, the Knicks had five players score at least 17 points.

As a result, there was not much the Hawks could do to counter this type of effort by the Knicks.

The only silver lining to this otherwise-wasted trip to New York was a stellar performance from their prodigy, Trae Young. The 21-year-old scored 42 points while being very efficient from the field as well as seven shots made from behind the arc.

Young seems to belong in some elite scoring clubs and might one day find himself among the top scorers ever in MSG. Better luck next time, Trae!