Knicks' Jalen Brunson leads club into virtual tie for second with Celtics in Eastern Conference
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shoots a free throw against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 121-116, on Tuesday night at the Garden for their seventh straight victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby each added 21 points for the Knicks (48-25), who pulled within percentage points of the Boston Celtics (47-24) for second place in the Eastern Conference. Towns also grabbed 14 rebounds.
But it was Brunson who made the difference for the Knicks in a game that was close throughout the second half. He scored 10 straight points for the Knicks through the fourth quarter, including back-to-back baskets after the Pelicans had cut it to 109-107 with 4 1/2 minutes left.
Zion Williamson scored 22 points and Jeremiah Fears had 21 for the Pelicans, who have lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak.
The Knicks made 15 of 21 shots (71.4%) in the first quarter, including going 7-for-11 (63.6%) from three-point range, and closed with a 15-0 run to take a 42-28 lead. New Orleans then opened the second with an 18-2 surge to go ahead 48-46 as the Knicks took more than five minutes to make their first basket. The Knicks recovered to go back ahead 66-60 at halftime.
The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, the Nets and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records. They will get tested on a four-game road trip that begins Thursday at Charlotte. — AP
