WASHINGTON — Break up the Knicks!
Two days before the trade deadline, the Knicks reiterated the capabilities of their current group, trouncing the sad-sack Wizards 132-101 on Tuesday for their seventh straight win.
It was a laugher from tipoff, with New York’s lead hitting 16 after the first quarter, 27 at the break and 31 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We came out with that third-quarter intensity in the first quarter and it allowed us to dictate the game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “That’s what’s asked of us and that’s something we wanted to accomplish. So today is a good day where you actually do what you say.”
Towns again cooked Washington center Alex Sarr, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds in just 26 minutes. Jalen Brunson (21 points), OG Anunoby (19) and Mikal Bridges (23) rounded out the balanced scoring.
The Knicks totaled 34 assists — 15 more than the Wizards.
“Guys are trying to share the basketball,” coach Mike Brown said. “And we only had eight turnovers. So you’re trying to not only sharing the basketball, but sharing it the right way.
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“And we have a lot of guys who can shoot it, we have a lot of guys who can put it on the floor and make plays. But guys are trying to play for one another with the correct spacing and making the correct decisions. So it’s a lot of fun to see when guys get rolling.”
The only problem was more ankle injuries. On the same day The Post reported that Miles McBride’s lingering ankle issue required further testing, two of his teammates — Josh Hart and Mohamed Diawara — twisted their ankles during the game and didn’t return.
Diawara’s injury looked especially painful, and he was helped by teammates to the locker room. Hart twisted his left ankle, not the right one he sprained badly on Christmas. But Hart also never returned to the bench after his third-quarter injury.
Both Diawara and Hart left the arena without a walking boot or much of a limp.
Otherwise, it was a cakewalk for the Knicks (32-18), whose defense has been dominant during their winning streak. But the schedule increases dramatically in difficulty over the short term, with a daunting three-game stretch upcoming against the Nuggets (Wednesday), at the Pistons (Friday) and at Boston (Sunday).
The Wizards (13-36), meanwhile, don’t mind losing. Their first-round pick this year was traded to the Knicks, but it’s top eight protected. So Washington is motivated to finish in the league’s bottom four, which would guarantee they keep the pick.
They traded for Trae Young but shelved him indefinitely, a blatant form of tanking. On Tuesday, they started Sarr (20 years old), Keyonte George (22), Bilal Coulibaly (21) and Bub Carrington (20). They carried the look and effort of a team undeserving of sharing the same court with the Knicks.
Their home arena was overwhelmed with Knicks fans, many of whom showered Brunson with “MVP” chants and booed Young when he was shown on the Jumbotron.
That summed up another positive night for the Knicks — minus more ankle problems.
“Obviously Washington is a young team and the direction they’re going is what most young teams do at this time of the year,” Brown said. “So we went out there and locked in and did the little things the right way.
“It was impressive to see.”
