Jalen Brunson helps Knicks get past Nuggets for 5th straight win

Jalen Brunson posted his second double-double in three games on Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who continued their surge with a 122-112 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Brunson, who finished with 30 points and 15 assists, had 15 points during a decisive third-period run for the Knicks, who have won five straight following a 3-6 skid.

Brunson is just the fourth player in team history to finish with at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game and the first since Nate Robinson had 33 and 15 in a 128-124 overtime win over the host Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 11, 2009.

Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds, while OG Anunoby netted 23 points. Josh Hart scored 15 points and Mikal Bridges added 13 points, while Miles McBride contributed 12 off the bench.

Jamal Murray scored 33 points for the Nuggets, who set a season-worst with their third straight loss. Denver superstar Nikola Jokic, who has 21 triple-doubles this season, finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists while playing just 33 minutes due to early foul trouble.

Russell Westbrook chipped in 14 points and 14 rebounds for Denver, while Aaron Gordon scored 15 points and reserve Christian Braun added 13.

Jokic picked up two fouls in an eight-second span and exited with 9:48 left in the first and the Nuggets ahead 6-5. The Knicks scored the next 13 points and opened up two more 12-point leads before the Nuggets ended the quarter on a 17-9 run to pull within 31-27.

The Nuggets tied the score twice in the second — both times before Jokic re-entered with 7:14 left — and the Knicks led by as many as nine before entering the half with a 60-54 cushion.

Murray scored eight points in a quarter-opening 20-6 run in the third for the Nuggets, who took their biggest lead at 74-66 on a layup by Porter with 7:11 left. The Knicks scored the next eight points and ended the period on a 27-12 run.

Brunson hit two free throws with 1:55 left to put New York ahead for good at 85-84.

A floater by Jokic cut the Knicks’ lead to 95-93 with 10:31 left in the game, but New York ran off 10 straight points.

Denver closed within four points twice more, the last at 110-106 on Gordon’s layup with 4:42 left, but Hart and Bridges combined to score the next six points for New York, which led by at least eight points the rest of the way.

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