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Jalen Brunson scores 47 points to power Knicks past Heat 132-125

Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 47 points to power the Knicks to a 132-125 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

It was Brunson's 20th 40-point game with New York and the most points he's scored at MSG. Mikal Bridges added 24 points (6-for-7 from beyond the arc), including 18 in the first half, on a night when the Knicks turned around some first-quarter woes into a big bounce-back win to improve to 20-8 on the season (14-2 at home) and sent the Heat to a seventh loss in their last eight games to fall to 15-14 on the year.

The opening quarter on Sunday began like a Sunday drive: A bit aimless, a bit stop-and-go, featured a few wrong turns, and some back-seat driving as Karl-Anthony Towns was issued a technical foul all within the opening five minutes. Mike Brown called for a timeout after the Heat converted an easy layup as they beat the Knicks down the floor in transition. The pause didn't help: Towns committed the Knicks' third turnover with an offensive foul, and Miami scored five straight for an 18-9 advantage.

Down 10 late in the period, the Knicks finally got a bit of rhythm going with seven straight points. The Heat, with quick ball movement and pushing the pace, converted on 7-for-11 from behind the arc in the first for a seven-point edge after 12 minutes, despite the Knicks’ 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) start from the floor. 

Entering midway through the second with the Knicks down nine, Brunson went back to work with five points. Bridges, who started hot, didn't want to miss out, connecting on back-to-back threes to force Erik Spoelstra to call for time in a one-point game with 3:42 to play in the half. Five straight from Brunson gave the Knicks a lead, 61-57, for the first time since it was 9-8 early in the first. The guard rattled in his fifth three of the half just before the buzzer to give him 27 and the Knicks a 66-62 lead.

In the third, after Miami cut the lead to two, seven straight from New York, which turned offense to defense with a pair of blocks, forced a timeout up nine, their largest lead of the night. Norman Powell woke up with 19 points in the quarter and Kel'el Ware, the Heat's second-year big man, found his stroke, pouring in four of six from deep for 22 points. But OG Anunoby, who was scoreless in the first half, answered with 12 points and Brunson added 12 of his own to keep the Knicks up by six.

As the two sides looked to end the shooting barage of the first three quarters, the game became bogged down by free throws and missed shots (Knicks 6-for-16 from the floor, Heat 4-for-14 in the early goings), but the New York kept its edge with a couple of big threes, including a desperation heave from Josh Hart late in the shot clock and a corner three from Brunson after Mitchell Robinson kept the ball in-play on an offensive rebound.

But Miami wouldn't go down easily, as Ware connected again from deep to give him 28 points, and two free throws from Jamie Jaquez Jr. to give him 19 off the bench made it a three-point game with 3:12 to play. But a 5-0 run, with Bridges making a second three in the quarter to give him 24, and a flagrant foul on Powell while Brunson attempted a three, allowed the Knicks to make it a 10-point game with 94 seconds left to play and that just about did it. 

Here are the takeaways...

- Brunson was the offense early, connecting on five of eight attempts from the floor for 14 points with three assists to his name. After time on the bench to start the second, Brunson came in with two quick buckets, the second a layup off a nice give-and-go with Hart. The Knicks' MVP poured in 27 in his first 18 minutes on 10-for-15 shooting (5-for-8 from deep). He went 5-for-11 in the second half and had several clutch free throws down the stretch. Where would the Knicks be without him?

- Bridges started well, hitting five of his first six buckets, including both his three-point attempts for 12 points, with two rebounds and two assists. The guard continued to find good looks and hit back-to-back threes from a spot on the right elbow extended to give him 18 in the first half on 7-for-10 shooting. After not attempting a shot in the third, Bridges converted 2 of 4 in the fourth to finish with 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting with four assists, two rebounds, but was a minus-2 in 40 minutes.

- Towns had a rough start, picking up his second offensive foul of the game just over three minutes into the second quarter. He started point-less (0-for-4 from the floor) in his first 13 minutes with two rebounds, one assist, two turnovers (both fouls), and was a minus-8 in the first half. 

Towns put in his first shot of the third quarter for his first points. But his rough night continued with a third offensive foul to open the fourth. He finished with just two points on 1-for-5 shooting with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, three turnovers, four fouls, and was a minus-1 in 29 minutes.

- Anunoby, coming off his worst game of the season Friday in Philadelphia, had a very quiet opening five minutes, with just a turnover, and he was the first one to the bench. He didn't attempt a shot in the first and missed his first two in the second (both threes), the second of which looked very flat. He had two turnovers and was a minus-2 in 15 first-half minutes.

Anunoby finally got cooking in the third, scoring 12 points (5-for-7 shooting) with three blocks, an assist, and a steal in the quarter. Four free throws to start the fourth meant the bad start was a distant memory, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting  (2-for-6 from deep) with three assists, two rebounds, two blocks, one steal, four turnovers, and was a plus-3 in 34 minutes.

- Hart had five in the first half, but added all of the things that make him good: six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and was a plus-5 in 16 minutes. He finished with 13 points (5-for-10 shooting, 3-for-5 from deep) with 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and was a plus-4 in 33 minutes.

- Off the bench, Robinson got one of the biggest cheers of the night when he knocked down his first two free-throw attempts late in the second quarter. He extended his streak to 10 consecutive free throws made after starting the year 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) to the year. He finished with nine points (3-for-4) with seven rebounds, two steals, two assists, one block, and was a plus-6 in 22 minutes.

Jordan Clarkson added five points in the first half and dished out an assist in the first half, finishing with 10 points (4-for-5) with two rebounds, an assist, two turnovers, and was a minus-2 in 18 minutes. 

Tyler Kolek added four points with two rebounds, three assists, and two fouls, and was a plus-10 in 12 first-half minutes, really giving them a second-quarter spark to grab the lead. He finished with six points (3-for-6) with four rebounds and three assists and was a plus-16 (a Knicks high) in 22 minutes.

- For Miami, Ware finished with 28 points (11-for-15) and 20 rebounds (six offensive) as the Heat outrebounded the home side 56-42. Jaquez had 23 points and Powell addded 22.  

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

He heard MVP chants from the MSG faithful and for good reason, as he finished with 47 points on 15-for-26 shooting (6-for-13 from deep) with eight assists, three rebounds, zero turnovers, and was a plus-10 in 38 minutes.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks are back in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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Momcilovic hits 7 3s, scores 27 points in No. 4 Iowa State’s 91-60 win over Long Beach State

Milan Momcilovic made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points and No. 4 Iowa State routed Long Beach State 91-60 on Sunday night to improve to 12-0. Momcilovic, who entered the game leading the Big 12 in 3-point shooting accuracy at 52.6%, made his first six shots from beyond the arc for his best start since he was 7 of 7 against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 3. Iowa State held Long Beach State (3-10) to six points in the opening 10 minutes and led 45-9 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

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Kings' compete level answers Doug Christie's plea in OT thriller vs. Rockets

Kings' compete level answers Doug Christie's plea in OT thriller vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – The 2025-26 Kings are not a playoff team.

But Doug Christie still would like to see some fight from his guys after losing 22 games before January and plummeting to dead last in the Western Conference.

Over the past three games, the Kings have shown that competitive edge that Christie was known for as a player and preaches now as a coach. The last two have resulted in losses to the Trail Blazers, with the first in Portland ending in overtime controversy and the second in Sacramento being a back-and-forth battle.

After Saturday’s 98-93 loss to Portland, the first question Christie responded to was whether the competitive level his team had displayed was what he’s been looking for with this roster, given its rocky start to the season and its realistic future.  

“Yeah. Ultimately, defensively, I thought we were better,” Christie said. “We’re in a hunt. The competition level was higher. That’s what we need. You have to be in the hunt, and then once you get there, you have to execute down the stretch. [Us] missing 10 free throws, those are the things that are going to get us over the [hump]. 

“But first and foremost, you got to compete at a high level and be in the hunt. We did a pretty good job in Portland as well [on Thursday]. That’s the biggest thing. We have to compete at a high level. And then, in this league, you have to learn how to win games. And that’s where we’re at right now.”

Well, Sunday’s showing was a promising start.

In Sacramento’s second overtime game in four days, the Kings once again displayed resilience and, yes, that competition level Christie has been begging for from his squad. This time, though, it didn’t end in heartbreak or controversy; it ended with a win against one of the top Western Conference teams, the Houston Rockets, that snapped a five-game skid.

It was a true collective effort.

A late surge led by Keegan Murray erased Houston’s 14-point lead and kept the Kings alive in crunch time. Murray, who has been struggling offensively really since returning from a UCL injury this season, got going when the Kings needed him to most.

Over a two-minute-and-30-second span, Murray couldn’t miss. He scored 10 points in that time, including two big 3-pointers that pulled the Kings within two points with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation. 

Then it was a cat-and-mouse game from then on.

And even when Houston took a 5-point lead with 2:17 remaining, Sacramento never wavered. In fact, the Rockets never scored again in the fourth quarter, and the Kings went on a 5-0 run to force overtime after Russell Westbrook’s corner triple hit nothing but net to force overtime.

The Kings have been notorious for their inability to close out games, even when starting them off strong. But their competitive spirit never died, not even on the second night of a back-to-back.

The back-and-forth scoring continued literally until the final seconds of the extra period.

Just when it appeared to be over for the Kings when Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line, and Smith Jr. made two of his three free-throw attempts to give Houston a 2-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, it was another Kings veteran guard who stepped up and came up clutch.

Schroder knocked down a trey with 3.1 seconds remaining, and Kevin Durant’s missed jumper on the other end sealed the deal in Sacramento.

After the game, Westbrook stated that it all comes down to putting your best foot forward and competing. He added that Sunday’s win embodied the Kings finally “getting over the hump” and closing a game out.

Christie, too, was impressed with his team’s fight from start to finish.

“To come out and compete like that, for our guys, after some of the heartbreaks that we’ve had lately, says a lot about their character as individuals and collectively,” Christie said.

Christie also took a moment to shout out who he called two of the “best competitors” in the game in Sacramento in Westbrook and Schroder.

This win doesn’t solve everything for the plethora of issues in Sacramento, but it’s without a doubt a step in the right direction.

And right now, that’s all Christie can ask for.

“We haven’t particularly played at the level that we want to at home. Oddly enough, we’ve done it on the road quite a few times, where we competed really well. But these fans, this is what they deserve, and this is what we will give them. Ultimately, can win them all? No, but they want to know that you are pouring your heart and soul out on the floor when they walk out of the building. And they got that tonight.”

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What we learned as Kings' late rally powers huge overtime win against Rockets

 What we learned as Kings' late rally powers huge overtime win against Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO — Their record might not indicate it, but Doug Christie has emphasized competitiveness for his Kings as they continue to figure out a solution to their now 7-22 record.

In the last three games, at least, including Sunday’s win, they’ve shown that.

Sacramento overcame a 14-point deficit thanks to a late fourth-quarter surge fueled by Keegan Murray and a clutch corner 3-pointer by Russell Westbrook with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

But that wasn’t the only clutch 3 of the night.

Dennis Schröder sank a 26-foot 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime to secure the victory.

The Rockets still had time to steal the lead — and win — but Kevin Durant’s missed jumpshot ended those hopes.

The Kings snapped a five-game losing streak, and it was a true team effort.

DeMar DeRozan’s 27 points led the way for the Kings, with Keegan Murray contributing 26 and Schröder adding 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds off the bench.

Rockets young star center Alperen Şengün dominated Sacramento for most of the game, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s win:

Extra basketball

The Kings got rolling at the right time, with Westbrook’s corner triple sending the game to overtime.

The action-packed thriller in Sacramento continued for five more minutes, as the game ended with a game-winning triple from Schroder.

In the extra period, Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line with 10 seconds remaining, and Smith Jr. knocked down two of his three attempts from the charity stripe.

But it was Schroder who called game in the end.

Malik returns

Malik Monk recorded two consecutive DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) in a road and home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday and Saturday.

Before Sunday’s game, Kings coach Doug Christie was swarmed with questions about the bizarre situation, and he hinted that Monk could see the floor against the Rockets.

He kept his word, although it took a while.

Monk entered Sunday’s game for the first time of the night toward the end of the third quarter. And as expected, he was welcomed with a loud and warm welcome from the Golden 1 Center crowd.

Oh, he also instantly drove to the basket and made a layup within seconds of being on the court.

While being repeatedly asked about the decision to bench Monk in the past two games, Christie maintained it solely was based on it being a “logjam” at the guard position and simply a “numbers game.” He also stated that Monk was the “odd man out” since the Kings decided to emphasize defense and insert Keon Ellis into the rotation over Monk.

Ellis played just nine minutes in Sunday’s game, and has been struggling as of late. It could be possible that Ellis is back to being the “odd man out,” while Monk resumes his role.

Keegan’s resurgence

Keegan Murray has struggled to find a consistent offensive flow since returning from a UCL injury.

But his confidence never wavered, and neither did his coaches’ or teammates’ in him.

He showed just why on Sunday.

Murray missed all six of his 3-point attempts in Saturday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On Sunday, his first attempt from downtown — a 30-point trey — was a make. He finished the first quarter with 10 points and scored just two points in the second quarter.

But he got going when it mattered most, helping fuel a late rally to keep Sacramento alive in the fourth quarter. Murray finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from downtown.

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Aiden Sherrell scores career-high 21 to lead No. 16 Alabama past Kennesaw State 92-81

The neutral-site game in northern Alabama included a pro-Crimson Tide crowd and hosted a coming-out party for Sherrell. The sophomore from Detroit scored 15 points in the first half and helped Alabama (9-3) build a 26-point lead. The Tide held on from there despite getting outscored by 15 in the second half and ended up with four players scoring in double figures, including Aden Holloway (17), Labaron Philon Jr. (17) and Jalil Bethea (11).