WASHINGTON — Jalen Brunson called it “one of the coolest feelings” on any level.
Immanuel Quickley said it reminded him of his time at Kentucky.
Donte DiVincenzo said it’s motivating.
And Julius Randle called it the status quo — especially at D.C.’s Capital One Arena.
Twice in the fourth quarter, an arena jam-packed with fans wearing orange and blue showered the court with “Let’s go Knicks” chants, turning a road game into a homecoming as the Knicks ran off a 120-99 victory over the Wizards on Friday.
The chants intensified when the Knicks extended their lead late in the fourth quarter just before both teams emptied their benches.
“It’s 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,” Brunson said postgame. “It’s really cool.”
Brunson finished with 32 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field, and Randle nearly triple-doubled with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on the night.
With RJ Barrett (migraine) and Quentin Grimes (wrist) out on Friday, DiVincenzo and Josh Hart got the start, with Quickley seeing extended minutes.
Quickley, a Maryland native, scored a season-high 27 points off the bench in front of his hometown fans. He said fans showing out on the road is nothing new.
“It’s great cause we got fans that travel. It kinda reminds me of Kentucky a little bit when we used to play and they’d be chanting, ‘Go Big Blue,’” he said. “It’s kinda the same thing with ‘Go Knicks.’ Any arena, it almost feels like a home game so it’s pretty cool.
“In my years here, I’ve felt like that’s happened a lot honestly. They travel well, they’re really passionate. It’s always cool to have home games even on the road.”
Randle said the Capital One Arena has been like this since before he joined the Knicks in 2019.
“We always get this kinda love in Washington. It’s crazy. I don’t know what’s up with this arena,” he said. “Even when I was with the Lakers, they used to chant, ‘Go Lakers.’ We always get this type of love, but it’s amazing to have a road game that feels like home and have so many fans here. It’s a lot of respect.”
The Knicks travel to Charlotte for the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday, another known hub for New York natives to come out and cheer for their hometown team.
