NEW YORK _ Tim Hardaway Jr. can shoot again.
But even his explosive offensive performance couldn't stop the Knicks from tanking.
Hardaway Jr. finally broke out of his prolonged shooting slump Wednesday at the Garden, scoring 37 points on 14-of-24 from the field and 6-of-9 from downtown. The Knicks nonetheless blew a 27-point lead and fell to the Wizards, 118-113, to extend their losing streak to eight games.
It was the Knicks' biggest blown lead since 1991-92, when teams started tracking the stat.
The Knicks (23-36) still have not won a game since leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn ACL last week. They led by 21 points at the half, thanks to 32 points from Hardaway Jr. in the first two quarters, but the advantage evaporated in a disastrous third quarter that proved just how talent-deficient this roster is without its Unicorn.
The Wizards (33-24), playing without the injured John Wall, outscored the Knicks 39-15 in the third and stormed back after a surprisingly sluggish first half. They tied the game at 83 less than nine minutes into the third quarter, and Bradley Beal _ who scored a team-high 36 points _ gave the Wizards the lead at the 3:08 mark with a knockdown three from the wing.
Jeff Hornacek called a timeout, and the Knicks tightened up defensively over the remainder of the third quarter and into the final period. Center Enes Kanter (24 points, 14 rebounds, five assists) scored eight points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter to keep the Knicks in the game. But the Wizards pulled away down the stretch, capitalizing off Knicks turnovers and poor shot selection to win their second game in a row and seventh in their last nine since Wall went down with a knee injury.
With the Wizards ahead 114-110 and just more than a minute remaining, Beal poked the ball away from Hardaway for a turnover. Beal sprinted in transition, received an outlet pass, and slammed home the exclamation-point dunk.
Prior to that, though, Hardaway had carried the Knicks offensively, particularly in the first half.
Hardaway _ who signed a much-discussed four-year, $72 million contract before this season _ scored 17 points in the first quarter and 15 in the second. He even brought back his trademark shimmy amid a scoring flurry late in the first half.
Hardaway entered the game with just less eight minutes remaining before the break. He hit a jumper at the 5:48 mark that started a scoring streak reminiscent of Carmelo Anthony's days playing at The Mecca. He scored 15 of the Knicks' next 17 points over less than three minutes of game action. The crowd erupted with every make and demanded Hardaway continue shooting on each possession.
With 3:31 remaining, Hardaway received the ball nearly 10 feet behind the 3-point line. He dribbled around an Enes Kanter screen before pulling up behind the arc and unleashing a high-arcing shot. The swish of the net reverberated around the arena.
Hardaway _ who had missed 39 of his previous 44 3-point attempts entering Wednesday _ provided some icing on his first-half performance when he drilled a running jumper on the next possession, extending the lead to 27.
The Knicks put up 72 points in the first half and entered halftime with a 21-point advantage. But the good times _ and Hardaway's redemption _ were short lived.
Emmanuel Mudiay scored eight points to go along with three assists and three rebounds off the bench in his Garden debut. Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points for the Wizards.
