Rockets Vs Knicks — Brunson’s late heroics lift Knicks to 108-106 comeback
Rockets Vs Knicks: Jalen Brunson rallied the Knicks from an 18-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, drilling a go-ahead 15-footer with 21. 2 seconds left to seal a 108-106 win Saturday night at Madison Square Garden — the franchise’s largest comeback of the season.
Brunson turns a quiet night into a furious finish
The All-Star point guard was struggling through one of his worst offensive showings of the year, missing his first five field-goal attempts and not making a shot from the field until 4: 21 left in the third quarter. Brunson had just two points at halftime, both from free throws, before flipping the script in the fourth.
He drilled a jumper to pull the Knicks within four with 4: 40 remaining, then drew a charge on Amen Thompson two possessions later to regain possession. After another jumper to cut the margin to two, Brunson hit a layup with 1: 14 left to tie the game 103-103, drew a charge on Kevin Durant, and finally crossed up Tari Eason and drilled a 15-foot jumper with 21. 2 seconds left for the eventual 108-106 final.
Rockets Vs Knicks: Brunson’s late charge
Brunson finished the fourth quarter with eight points, going 4-for-4 from the field in that frame, and his burst helped the Knicks avoid what would have been a second straight ugly loss to a contender coming out of the All-Star break. "We found a way, " coach Mike Brown said. "That's what I'm most excited about. "
Brunson said of the turnaround: "Didn't like how I was playing. Decided that I had to switch it; that simple. It's the mentality of trying to get downhill, make plays, not being hesitant, not being passive. If there are mistakes, they're aggressive mistakes. Don't want to be on your heels. I just feel like the first two quarters, I was. "
Defense and turnovers flip the game
New York forced the Rockets into nine fourth-quarter turnovers while committing just one of its own. Jose Alvarado contributed five points and three steals during that key stretch, helping the Knicks turn pressure into scoring chances down the stretch.
For most of the night the Rockets were doubling Brunson, and he deferred to teammates until crunch time. "Jalen was in a groove, " Brown said. "It didn't matter who was on him; he found a way to score. "
Towns’ push and closing contributions
Karl-Anthony Towns — whose offensive role had been a major talking point after the Knicks’ blowout loss to the Pistons on Thursday — challenged his teammates before the fourth quarter and delivered seven points in the final period, finishing with a game-high 25.
"I said, 'We can win this game. I've seen us do it. It starts with the first possession of the fourth quarter, playing defense. We've gotta get a stop, it's the most important possession of the game, the first play of the fourth quarter, '" Towns said. "I wanted to do my part as well. … I wanted to set the tone for our team and set the intensity level we needed to play for 12 minutes if we expected to come out with a win. "
Bench plays, late free throws and Durant’s quiet finish
Landry Shamet added 14 points off the bench and played key minutes down the stretch over Mikal Bridges, a substitution move that has become recurring under Brown. OG Anunoby, who paced the Knicks with 16 in the first half, managed only four points in the second half but sank both free throws with 5. 4 seconds left to ice the game.
Kevin Durant entered the fourth quarter with 25 points but added just five the rest of the way on 2-for-7 shooting from the field; three of those fourth-quarter points came on a 3-pointer after Anunoby's free throws.
What’s next
It is unclear in the provided context when the Knicks or Rockets will play next or what the teams’ immediate schedules are.
