The New York Knicks spoiled James Harden’s Los Angeles Clippers debut with a brilliant second half effort.

Perhaps in the spirit of Daylight Savings Time, the New York Knicks simply needed about an hour to find their bearings at Madison Square Garden.

New York earned its first home win of the 2023-24 season on Monday night, topping the Los Angeles Clippers by a 111-97 final. The victory spoiled James Harden’s red-and-blue debut and put the Knicks (3-4) back in the left-hand column of the standings after consecutive losses.

Julius Randle upped the penetration in his best game of the season, scoring a Knicks-best 27 points to go with 10 rebounds. RJ Barrett, back from a two-game medical absence was right behind him with 26.

Both teams struggled to find their bearings in the first half, which ended with Los Angeles (3-3) nursing a 46-42 lead at intermission.

The Knicks will continue a three-game homestand at MSG on Wednesday night when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs come to visit (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).