Knicks elite ball movement reaching historic levels

SALT LAKE CITY — The “Dimes” nickname is open in New York now that quarterback Daniel Jones has been released by the Giants, and perhaps it can be a fitting team-wide moniker in another sport. It had been 30 years since the Knicks managed 30 or more assists in three consecutive games since the start of the 1994-95 season, and nearly 15 years longer than that since they have done it at least four times in a row. Tom Thibodeau’s emerging offensive powerhouse will look to keep the ball rolling — and, more importantly, moving — in the second stop of a five-game road trip Saturday against the Jazz. They haven’t reached the 30-assist mark in four straight contests since a seven-game stretch during the 1979-80 campaign. “The more we play together, the more we’re going to get comfortable with each other,” All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson said.“It’s taking time, but we’re still progressing.” Brunson registered 36 points and 10 dimes in Wednesday’s win in Phoenix, marking his third straight game reaching double digits in assists for only the second time in his career.

He also had a three-game streak in April of last season. Brunson now ranks ninth in the NBA with a career-best 7.3 assists per game through the Knicks’ 9-6 start, including 9.5 per appearance during their current four-game winning streak. Not since the first three games of the 1994-95 season had a Knicks team managed 30 or more assists in three successive games. With 100 assists over that span, the Knicks also have moved up to ninth in the league with 27.7 per game entering Friday’s action.Their 33.3 per game would represent more than the current NBA leaders for the season, the Warriors, who have averaged 30.5 over their first 14 games. “For sure, the offense is clicking,” said Josh Hart, who is second on the team with a career-best 5.9 assists per game.

“We’re getting good shots.We’re getting some stops.

When we’re getting some of those stops, we’re ...