Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both recorded double-doubles before sitting out the fourth quarter, leading the New York Knicks to a 134-106 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Brunson finished with 26 points and 11 assists, while Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks secured their second straight win, improving to two games above .500 after finishing their four-game homestand with three wins.
Other starting players also contributed significantly: OG Anunoby scored 16 points, Josh Hart had 14, and Mikal Bridges added 14 points as well. The Knicks shot 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, making 20 of 40 three-point attempts. Off the bench, Cameron Payne chipped in 17 points.
For the Wizards, Carlton Carrington, Jonas Valanciunas, and Corey Kispert each scored 18 points. Kyle Kuzma had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Valanciunas also grabbed eight rebounds. However, the Wizards are struggling, having lost nine straight games, eight of them by double digits.
Washington briefly led 12-7, but the Knicks responded with a 10-0 run and finished the first quarter with a 33-15 run. Brunson’s layup gave the Knicks a 13-12 lead with 7:45 left in the first quarter, and they never trailed again. Anunoby’s alley-oop dunk with 3:11 left extended New York’s lead to 30-19.
The Knicks pushed their lead to over 20 points in the second quarter, with Pacome Dadiet’s three-pointer giving New York a 20-point lead. They went into halftime up 73-54.
The Knicks dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Wizards 36-21, with Brunson contributing 14 points and Anunoby adding nine. New York extended their lead to 109-75, and the Wizards never came closer than 24 points. In the fourth, mostly facing New York’s second unit, the Wizards scored 10 straight points to start the quarter.
