Jalen Brunson scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks earned a seventh straight win, 121-116, beating back a good effort from the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Brunson was the closer after entering with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Knicks (47-25) had used a tremendous first quarter to build a double-digit lead, but over the remaining three quarters, they nearly tossed it away with stretches of cold shooting.
Brunson had some help with six teammates in double-figures, led by OG Anunoby pouring in 21 on 7-for-16 shooting (5-for-13 from three) with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and was a plus-17 in 40 minutes. Off the bench, New York got a big boost from Jordan Clarkson, 10 points and five assists for a plus-11 in 21 minutes, and Mitchell Robinson, 11 points and eight rebounds (four offensive) for a plus-11 in 21 minutes.
Here are the takeaways...
- Anunoby knocked down his first bucket (a corner three) and kept at it in the first, for seven early points. Brunson made it a 4-for-7 from behind the arc by the Knicks with a three over Zion Williamson to put New York ahead 22-21 with 5:04 to play in the first.
Robinson made an immediate impact with three points, three rebounds (one offensive), and a block in his first 100 seconds of game time in the first. Clarkson then picked up the baton with four points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in his first 3:38 of time. The bench duo then combined for a Clarkson-to-Robinson alley-oop in the middle of what would be a 15-0 Knicks run to close the quarter for a 42-28 lead with Anunoby knocking down a three at the buzzer (on a fourth Clarkson assist).
New York shot 15-for-21 (71.4 percent) in the first and held New Orleans to 11-for-25 (44 percent). Anunoby led them with 13 and Brunson had 10 with three of the team's 10 assists.
- Remember that big run to close the first? The exact opposite came about in the second as the Pelicans scored the first six points, as the Knicks missed their first five shots from the floor. Mike Brown had seen enough, asking for time, three minutes in after a turnover led to a Pelicans fastbreak and an 11-2 run.
The stretch featured some rough moments, like Karl-Anthony Towns missing a pair of shots by the cup, and then he was whistled for two fouls in 14 seconds, and the Pelicans had the lead down to one. A Karlo Matković three gave New Orleans the lead at 46-44, capping an 18-2 run in the quarter's first five minutes.
Miles Bridges made the Knicks' first field goal in the quarter after seven straight misses. And a Josh Hart bucket and Anunoby three – both off Robinson offensive rebounds – put New York back ahead by two and forced another New Orleans timeout with five to play in the half. Robinson had seven points and six boards in 13 first-half minutes.
Anunoby's two-handed slam (on a good find from Bridges) gave him 18 points in the half and the Knicks 18 assists on 24 made buckets. The lead at halftime was back to 66-60, thanks to a couple of Bridges threes in the quarter's final two minutes.
Towns had a strange half, going 3-for-9 from the floor for 11 points with four rebounds, but was a minus-12 in 13 minutes. Only Jose Alvarado,a minus-13 in five minutes against his former team, was worse. Brunson, meanwhile, was a plus-19 in 19 minutes
- After six-straight from the Pellicans to start the third, a Towns putback slam, a Bridges corner three, and an Anunoby three stemmed the tide. But a 7-0 Pelicans spurt tied the game with 6:30 to play in the quarter as the Knicks opened 4-for-12 from the floor with the Pelicans connecting on 6 of 10.
Clarkson and Robinson entered just past the midway point with the Knicks up a pair and in need of a spark, but the Pelicans grabbed a three-point lead with a 12-2 run. The spark game as the Knicks shot 8-for-13 from the floor after their bad start, but even with Brunson adding two late assists – first finding a cutting Clarkson and then an alley-oop to Robinson – to give him six in the game, New York held just a 93-92 lead to take to the fourth.
- The Knicks opened the fourth unlike the other periods: Anunoby steal (his third), a Mohamed Diawara finger roll, and a Towns three for a six-point lead to force a Pelicans timeout. Up four, the Knicks got a gift when Derik Queen was called for a flagrant foul on a reckless closeout, and after Hart made all three from the line. But New York, 1-for-7 from the floor, after that New Orleans timeout, had to call for time when the visitors cut the lead to three with 7:25 to play.
Out of the Brown timeout, Brunson entered and connected on a step-back jumper, and a few possessions later, a fadeaway from 16 feet to give him 21 in the game. But the Pelicans, as they’d done since the first, wouldn’t go down quietly. Jeremiah Fears, who came into the game averaging 13 points a night, added two baskets to give him 21 for the game on 9-for-12 shooting. The rookie then grabbed a steal, leading to a layup and a Knicks timeout with just over four to play, and the lead was down to two.
Brunson responded with back-to-back buckets to give him 10 straight points and forced a Pels timeout. With Towns sitting since the 7:25 mark in the period, Anunoby was the tallest man on the court along with Brunson, Hart, Clarkson, and Bridges down the stretch to match up with a small-ball New Orleans lineup.
After a Brunson assist and three at the line, including one on a technical free throw, for a seven-point lead with 71 seconds to go, the visitors responded again and the lead was three with 16 seconds to play.
Brunson made no mess of the final moments with two from the line, to give him 15 in the quarter to seal it.
- Bridges finished with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting (4-for-10 from three) with seven assists and two rebounds, and was a minus-9 in 37 minutes.
Towns finished with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting (2-for-6 from three) with 14 rebounds (three offensive) but was a minus-11 in 24 minutes.
Hart had 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists and was a minus-14 in 38 minutes.
Diawara had just the one bucket, but was a plus-15 in his 11-minute cameo.
New York shot 51.8 percent (44-for-85) for the game, including 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from three. New Orleans shot 51.1 percent (45-for-88) and 44.1 percent (15-for-34) from three. Williamson led the visitors with 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting (6-for-8 from the line) with four rebounds, two assists, and was a plus-15 in 34 minutes. No other Pelican was more than a plus-1.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson, of course
When he entered in the fourth, you just knew he would be the focus, and yet, he couldn't be stopped. He finished with 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting (2-for-4 from deep) with seven assists and was a plus-16 in 39 minutes.
Highlights
What's next
The Knicks look to extend their winning streak to eight games when they head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets. Tip is set for Thursday at 7 p.m.
