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

2. Ben Simmons almost makes history

Right after kicking off the New Year, Ben Simmons and the 76ers visited the New York Knicks in an unexpectedly close game. The Sixers ultimately returned home victorious with a close three-point win.

But let’s talk about Ben Simmons for a bit. 20 points, 22 rebounds and nine assists. The man was one assist away from a 20-20 triple-double.

Note: He was not one assist away from a 20-20-20 triple-double. That is something entirely different and even rarer.

Despite Ben’s heroics, the Knicks managed to keep it a close game. Regardless of the outcome, when performances like these take place, you just can’t help but end up tongue-tied and appreciate greatness.

1. James Harden summons his inner Kobe for 61 points

Many NBA fans seem to view James Harden as perhaps the greatest scorer of all-time, over the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Even though we can’t actually compare generations, Harden made sure he matched any career-high of the aforementioned at MSG by scoring 61 points to match Kobe’s excellence. He astoundingly did that as he had 36 points at halftime.

Other than being the best performance at The Garden all year long and one point away from tying Carmelo Anthony’s record of 62 points, this effort was also the highest-scoring game of the 2019 calendar year. Well … tied for the highest-scoring game, to be honest, but the other 61-point banger also belongs to The Beard.

https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/1088272973897842688?s=20

Despite this godlike performance by Harden, the New York Knicks once again managed to keep it a close game, only losing by four points.

The dunk above in the last seconds of the game managed to seal the game for the Houston Rockets and to tie the performance posted by Kobe Bean Bryant in 2009.