Brunson’s return lifts Knicks
His team-high 24 help rally N.Y. over West No. 1 Nuggets
NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson felt good enough to blow by the Denver Nuggets early and hang around to make some big plays at the end.
The New York Knicks needed their point guard to get by the best in the West and Brunson was glad his sore left foot was healthy enough to deliver.
He had 24 points in his return to the court, leading the Knicks to a 116-110 victory on Saturday.
“Everything feels good when you win,” Brunson said.
Brunson had 16 points in the first quarter to get the Knicks off to a quick start, then finished strong to help them come back after trailing by 13 in the second half. New York was protecting a two-point lead when he made two free throws with 43 seconds remaining, then pushed the ball up the court and threw a lob that Mitchell Robinson slammed down to make it 116-110 with 24 seconds to go.
“He started the game, that was probably more adrenaline than anything else,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But a little rust, but then he got a good rhythm late so it was good.”
Brunson had missed five of the last six games and made it through only half of the one game he did play when he thought he was ready. With their point guard back, the Knicks won their third straight and improved to 42-30, guaranteeing just their second winning record in the last 10 seasons.
RJ Barrett added 21 points and Julius Randle had 20 for the Knicks, including the tiebreaking basket with 2:21 left. Robinson grabbed nine rebounds.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Jamal Murray scored 25 points.
The Western Conference leaders had snapped their longest losing streak of the season at four games on Thursday at Detroit, but fell into a quick hole in this one, with Brunson’s early burst providing the Knicks and a sold-out crowd of 19,812 more energy than usual for a day game. Fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” when Brunson went to the line for his two final free throws.
Magic 113, Clippers 108:
Markelle Fultz scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Wendell Carter Jr. had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and Orlando snapped a two-game skid. Franz Wagner scored 20 points and hit a gutsy 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play for the Magic, who had lost five of six before taking the lead in the fourth quarter and holding on for this tenacious win on the road. Fultz put together another impressive game in his late-season surge, going 10for-17 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. Paul George scored 30 points for the Clippers, whose four-game winning streak ended on the last contest of a five-game homestand. Kawhi Leonard skipped the game to rest his right knee, sitting out for the 29th time in the Clippers’ 71 contests this season. Los Angeles couldn’t keep up its unbeaten surge since a five-game losing streak and missed a chance to move within a half-game of Phoenix in fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 16 rebounds for L.A. on his 26th birthday, grabbing his 3,000th career rebound in the first half.