Knicks ground Jokic, pound Nuggets

NEW YORK, United States – Karl-Anthony Towns put Nikola Jokic into early foul trouble then Jalen Brunson orchestrated the New York Knicks’ late spurt to roll to their fifth straight victory.

With the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player neutralized, the Knicks ran the Denver Nuggets to the ground 122-112 Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) at the Madison Square Garden here.

Towns drew two quick fouls from Jokic in the first 81 seconds of the game and the Knicks established control early with a 12-point lead.

Jokic, who only saw action for a little over two minutes in the first quarter, finished with just 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, well below his triple-double average.

Brunson had 30 points and 15 assists, while OG Anunoby added 23 for the Knicks, whose high-powered offense has now produced a combined 408 points over their last three games, the most over a three-game span in franchise history.

The Knicks ran at every opportunity, finishing with 25 fast-break points. They also scored 23 points off the Nuggets’ 14 turnovers.

The Nuggets couldn’t slow down the red-hot Knicks who shot 51.6% shooting from the floor and had 33 assists.

But it was not just the Knicks’ offense that had been clicking. Their defense is also tightening.

New York has the No.1 offense (124.2), tied for the No. 6 defense (108.6) and the best net rating (15.6) in the NBA during this five-game winning streak that includes back-to-back wins over the Western Conference’s No. 3 Memphis and No. 4 Denver.

“It doesn't mean we have it figured out,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It means we have to continue to work. There's a long way to go, and we want to be playing our best at the end.”

The Knicks improved to 32-16 but remained one game back of the 33-15 Boston Celtics, who demolished the Chicago Bulls 122-100, for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Towns contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Knicks improved to 7-1 this season when he and Brunson logged a double-double in the same game.

All five starters once again finished in double figures, but they also drew 27 points from their bench, led by McBride’s 12 points.

“It's a good win, and we don't want to get carried away with ourselves,” Thibodeau said. “We'll enjoy it. But there are things that we have to continue to improve upon.

“I think these are all good tests for us because they tell us exactly where we are and what we have to work on to get better and not to be satisfied. And we have always had the belief that we could do things better. And I think this team does, and we have a committed group that's willing to sacrifice for each other and play for each other.”

Unlike their 37-point rout of the Grizzlies, the Knicks were tested against the Nuggets in the second half.

Denver stormed back in the third quarter and took an eight-point lead behind Jamal Murray, who dropped 12 of his 33 points.

Brunson countered with 18 points in the third quarter to rescue New York, which took a 93-86 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Brunson and Towns got extended rest on top of the fourth quarter as their bench with Anunoby and Mikal Bridges padded the Knicks’ cushion to double digits once again.

McBride’s five straight points kickstarted a 10-2 Knicks run capped by Anunoby’s 3-pointer for a 105-93 lead.

Then Brunson came in to drive them home.

The Knicks captain took only one shot but issued seven assists to finish off the Nuggets, who dropped to their third straight loss to start their long road trip. 

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.