Josh Hart recorded his second consecutive triple-double, and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds for the third game in a row as the shorthanded New York Knicks defeated the Utah Jazz 119-103 on Wednesday night.
The Knicks extended their winning streak to nine games, despite being without star point guard Jalen Brunson (calf) for the first time this season, and backup guard Miles McBride, who was expected to start in place of Brunson but was ruled out due to a tight left hamstring.
Hart didn’t score until the final moments of the first half but still ended with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists. Towns had 31 points and 21 rebounds, becoming only the third player in Knicks history — joining Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Patrick Ewing — to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in three straight games.
New York’s Mikal Bridges added 27 points, while OG Anunoby contributed 22 points. Precious Achiuwa came off the bench to score 12 points and gave the Knicks the lead for good at 26-25 when he dunked to start the second quarter.
Rookie Tyler Kolek, who had 36 points and 11 assists earlier in the day for the G-League Westchester Knicks, played 12 minutes for the main squad, contributing two points and four assists after being called up due to the injuries to Brunson and McBride.
For the Jazz, Collin Sexton and reserve Jordan Clarkson each scored 25 points, but Utah lost their fifth straight game. Lauri Markkanen recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, though he struggled, shooting 6-for-22 from the field and 1-for-10 from three-point range. Keyonte George added 15 points, and Johnny Juzang scored 10.
The Knicks took control in the second quarter when Towns scored 10 points, helping them build a 13-point lead. The Jazz closed the gap to 77-73 on a Clarkson three-pointer with 3:01 left in the third quarter. However, New York responded with an 18-6 run bridging the third and fourth quarters and eventually led by 20 points as the game came to a close.
