Jalen Brunson delivered a superstar encore, pouring in 42 points with nine assists and eight rebounds as the New York Knicks outlasted the Denver Nuggets 134–127 in a gritty double-overtime thriller Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to eight games.
Karl-Anthony Towns battled through early adversity to add 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks’ big man was bloodied in a head-to-head collision in the first quarter, playing the rest of the night with a bandage over his right eye before fouling out in the first overtime. From there, Brunson took center stage, scoring 10 of New York’s points in the second extra period to seal it.
Jamal Murray kept Denver alive with 39 points, while Nikola Jokic posted 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double since returning from a knee injury last week. Still, the Nuggets dropped their third straight, following losses to conference leaders Oklahoma City and Detroit.
After winning their previous seven games by an average of nearly 25 points, the Knicks were pushed to the limit in a game that never saw a double-digit lead. OG Anunoby chipped in 20 points to help New York keep pace throughout regulation and beyond.
Denver’s night grew more difficult as starting forwards Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones both exited with injuries. Watson limped off in the fourth quarter with an apparent right leg injury.
The Nuggets nearly escaped in the first overtime when Murray came up short on a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. But a loose-ball foul was called on Mikal Bridges against Christian Braun just before time expired. Braun calmly sank two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to tie the game at 119 and force a second overtime.
Brunson immediately slammed the door, scoring the first six points of the second OT as the Knicks finally pulled away.
Towns’ night began with a jolt when he drove to the basket and collided with Jones, opening a cut above his right eye. After treatment, he returned to the floor, knocked down his free throws in a blood-stained white jersey, and then headed straight to the locker room before later rejoining the game.
Up next:
Nuggets visit Chicago on Saturday.
Knicks visit Detroit on Friday.
