WASHINGTON — The Knicks took over the game, then the arena.
Near the end of New York’s 120-99 breeze Friday night over the Wizards, the fans at Capitol One Arena, filling the occupied seats with blue and orange jerseys, erupted in a “Let’s Go Knicks” chant.
It was the loudest chant of the night in the half-empty arena, and it picked up again with about a minute remaining in the blowout.
“Probably one of the coolest feelings no matter what level you’re at when you’re in someone’s home arena and hear your fans cheering really loud,” Jalen Brunson said. “It’s really cool.”
New York supporters tend to show out in D.C., where the Wizards have struggled to establish a home court advantage since they changed their nickname from Bullets.
It’s especially easier these days to root for the Knicks, who will likely be fighting for a playoff spot while the Wizards fight for lottery balls.
“We always get this type of love in Washington,” Julius Randle said. “I don’t know what it is about this arena. Even when I was with the Lakers, they chanted, ‘Go Lakers.’ So we always get this type of love. It’s amazing. Have a real game that feels like home.”
It also was an important victory for the In-Season Tournament. After losing to Milwaukee in the opener two weeks prior, the Knicks, now 1-1, would have lost almost all hope of advancing out of the group stage with another defeat.
Even playing without two starters, Tom Thibodeau’s squad led wire-to-wire, getting 32 points from Brunson and 27 from Immanuel Quickley.
It was a second straight victory for the Knicks (7-5), who have another very winnable game Saturday in Charlotte. Against the Wizards (2-10), the score was relatively close until Brunson and Quickley took over in the fourth quarter, spurring a 17-2 run that doomed the rebuilding home team.
Randle added 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, continuing to score with greater efficiency after struggling to start the season. Quickley, a Maryland product playing close to home at the Capitol One Arena, got his season-high in points on 10 of 18 shooting.
The Knicks were missing two starters — RJ Barrett (migraines) and Quentin Grimes (sprained wrist) — and Thibodeau went unusually deep in his rotation.
He gave Donte DiVincenzo the first start of his Knicks career, and even sent out Evan Fournier for a season debut. The Frenchman, who has been banished to the end of the bench all season, looked rusty while scoring just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes.
Thibodeau diverted a question about Fournier’s minutes to the overall bench play.
“I think our bench played well,” Thibodeau said. “And that’s important.”
The Wizards have a tanking posture after trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis for future assets. Their strategy of outscoring the opponent with little regard for defense has predictably struggled to net wins.
They’ve dropped five straight after getting handled by the Knicks. Thibodeau’s squad started hot while building a 16-4 lead after 4 ½ minutes, and held a 20-point advantage in the opening half. But the Wizards hung around and only trailed by five heading into the fourth quarter, when New York’s defensive intensity picked up.
“That’s when we got to be at our best,” Randle said. “I think we took a step forward.”
The victory continued the Knicks’ trend of beating up on the bad teams. They are undefeated against the Hornets, Spurs, Clippers and Wizards — all in games that weren’t very close.
Unlike those against those previous three opponents, the Knicks were on the road Friday night. Except they still had the crowd on their side.
“Kind of reminds me of Kentucky a little bit, when we used to play at different spots and they’d be chanting ‘Go Big Blue,’ ” said Quickley, the former Wildcat. “Sort of the same thing with the ‘Go Knicks.’ ”
