Rockets Vs Knicks: rockets vs knicks — Brunson’s late heroics propel Knicks to comeback

The Knicks looked dead and were on their way to a second straight ugly loss coming out of the All-Star break in a tense rockets vs knicks matchup. Jalen Brunson’s late fourth-quarter run helped New York erase an 18-point deficit and prevail 108-106 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

Brunson’s fourth-quarter surge

Brunson was struggling through one of his worst offensive showings of the year and had not made a shot from the field until 4: 21 left in the third quarter, missing the first five he took. He had just two points at halftime, free throws. In the fourth quarter he scored eight points, going 4-for-4 from the field.

With 4: 40 left he drilled a jumper to pull the Knicks within four. Two possessions later he drew a charge on Amen Thompson to get the ball back for New York. Two more possessions after that he drilled another jumper to bring the Knicks back within two. With 1: 14 left he hit a layup to tie the game 103-103, then took another charge — this time on Kevin Durant. Brunson crossed up Tari Eason and drilled a 15-footer to give the Knicks a two-point lead with 21. 2 seconds left.

“Didn’t like how I was playing, ” Brunson said. “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 sparks Knicks comeback

The Knicks forced the Rockets into nine fourth-quarter turnovers and committed just one themselves as part of the rally. The Rockets had been doubling Brunson for most of the game, and he had been deferring to his teammates, but he changed course in crunch time.

Jose Alvarado had five points and three steals in that key fourth-quarter stretch as the Knicks mounted their comeback. Boos began to emerge around Madison Square Garden when New York trailed, but the defensive push helped swing momentum late.

Town’s challenge and reaction

Karl-Anthony Towns, whose involvement in the offense was a major talking point during the Knicks’ blowout loss to the Pistons on Thursday, added seven points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 25. Brown credited Towns with challenging his teammates before the fourth quarter about their defense.

Towns said, “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. ”

Key bench contributions and roles

OG Anunoby paced the Knicks with 16 in the first half but scored just four points in the second half. He drilled both free throws with 5. 4 seconds left to ice the game. Landry Shamet added 14 points off the bench and played key minutes down the stretch — over Mikal Bridges, which has become a recurring move by coach Mike Brown.

Rockets Vs Knicks late-game struggles

The Rockets’ 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 points came on a 3-pointer after Anunoby’s free throws. The Knicks trailed by 18 at the beginning of the fourth quarter but completed their largest comeback of the season to win 108-106.

Coach reactions and closing notes

“We found a way, ” coach Mike Brown said. “That’s what I’m most excited about. ” Brown also praised Brunson’s late play: “Jalen was in a groove. It didn’t matter who was on him; he found a way to score. ”

The Knicks’ rally denied the Rockets a win on Saturday night and handed New York a dramatic comeback that avoided what would have been another concerning loss coming out of the All-Star break.