OG Anunoby scores career-high 40 as Knicks rout Nuggets for most impressive win of season

DENVER — After Michael Malone described the Knicks as one of the “elite” offensive teams in the NBA, they showed the championship-winning NBA coach why in an explosive and historic display Monday night at Ball Arena.

The Knicks put both facets of their game together — and shared the ball to tie a franchise record with 45 assists — in easily their most impressive win of the season, 145-118, over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

“That’s what I liked about the game. I thought the team has been very unselfish all year long,” Tom Thibodeau said after the Knicks scored their most points since Nov. 1980 against the Pistons. “We’re creating good shots, and we’re finding the guy who has a hot hand or a good matchup, but we’re doing it through movement, and that’s everyone working together to create the right shots. When we do that, we’re an excellent offensive team.”

The hot hand increasingly has become OG Anunoby, who has been lighting up the scoreboard after he was signed to the richest contract in team history over the summer ($212.5 million).

Anunoby continued his November scoring binge with a career-high 40 points on a scorching 16-for-23 from the floor, including five of seven from 3-point range, to spearhead the Knicks’ 60.9 percent shooting display.

“I haven’t seen any splits, but we’re a really good team, so, it was pretty cool,” said Anunoby, who netted a previous season-high of 27 with seven made 3-pointers one game earlier in Saturday’s loss to the Jazz. “I’ve never been on a team like this before.”