Jalen Brunson delivered a spectacular 42-point performance as the New York Knicks staged a thrilling late comeback to defeat the Houston Rockets 124-118 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
The Knicks, still reeling from a home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, appeared headed for another defeat as Houston built an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter. However, New York erupted for a staggering 46-point final quarter to turn the game around, with Brunson leading the charge by scoring 17 points in the decisive period.
Brunson sealed the victory with two clutch free throws, ensuring the Knicks retained third place in the Eastern Conference standings. He received valuable offensive support from Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, who each scored 22 points, while Josh Hart contributed 19.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau praised his team’s resilience, saying, “You have to win games in different ways. We got in a hole but found a way to win—I loved the way we responded in the fourth quarter. Whatever it was going to take, we were going to do.”
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder strengthened their grip atop the Western Conference with a dominant 125-96 win over the depleted Milwaukee Bucks.
Missing key players Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, and Bobby Portis, the Bucks struggled to keep up with a relentless Oklahoma City attack. The Thunder led by as much as 44 points in the third quarter, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander torching Milwaukee for 34 points in just over 22 minutes. Ousmane Dieng added 21 points off the bench.
Oklahoma City improved to 39-9, maintaining their lead over the second-placed Memphis Grizzlies, who secured a 128-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic notched his 23rd triple-double of the season with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113. However, it was Michael Porter Jr. who stole the show, scoring 36 points, including seven three-pointers.
With the victory, Denver improved to 31-19 but remains nine games behind Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City.
In San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors held off a late surge from the Orlando Magic to secure a 104-99 victory. Despite leading by 15 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Warriors found themselves trailing 92-90 with just over four minutes left. However, Andrew Wiggins (25 points) and Stephen Curry (24 points) guided them to a crucial win.
Meanwhile, in Portland, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Walter Davis’s record of 15,666 points. However, his night ended in disappointment as he missed a crucial free throw in overtime, allowing the Trail Blazers to escape with a 121-119 victory.
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