Knicks 112, Suns 98: Scenes from the half century mark.

The Knicks record consecutive 50 win seasons for the first time in 30 years.

Yesterday, the short-handed New York Knicks (50–28) crushed the Hawks. Tonight, they were finally close to full strength. Jalen Brunson returned after a 15-game absence with an ankle sprain; Miles McBride was back after missing eight with a groin injury; and Mitchell Robinson, still working into game shape, was cleared to play. The second night of a back-to-back can be tricky, but the struggling, Durant-less Suns (35–43)—set to finish below .500 for the first time since 2019–20 and riding a five-game skid—seemed like easy pickings at Madison Square Garden.

And mostly, they were. Final score: 112-98.

As expected, Brunson looked rusty, getting stripped twice in his first seven minutes. Devin Booker sparked Phoenix with a few jumpers but offset them with two turnovers of his own. The Suns missed 9 of 10 threes, yet New York’s seven turnovers kept the game tight. A bright spot: McBride came in and promptly drilled two triples. Despite sloppy ball control, the Knicks shot 11-of-19 from the field, hit 50% from deep, and tallied 10 assists to take a 27–23 lead into the break.

In the second period, our heroes went on a 12-2 run to attain a 15 point advantage. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 11 of his 15 first-half points to lead the pack, and he finished the night with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Nice sequence, this:

Despite another 1-for-9 showing from deep, Phoenix clawed back with rebounds, second-chance points, and another Brunson turnover. Booker (20 first-half points) and Grayson Allen (10) led the charge, cutting the deficit to seven before a corner three from Bridges made it 53–43 at the break. Mikal had an efficient half with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Brunson managed just five points on three attempts in 15 minutes.

Folks, meet Bradley Beal. He missed all seven shots on Friday in Boston and all five in tonight’s first half. Quite a streak!

OG Anunoby led a dominant third quarter for the Knicks, hitting multiple threes, throwing down a dunk, and scarfing up rebounds to extend New York’s lead to 87–70. His efficient scoring (32 points on 13-of-17 from the field and 6-of-8 from deep) and two-way play powered the Knicks, while Phoenix struggled with turnovers and missed shots. Despite brief sparks from Booker and Oso Ighodaro, the Suns couldn’t match New York’s pace or execution.

The Suns opened the fourth with a 17–6 run, slicing the lead to six as the Knicks went over six minutes without a bucket. OG stopped the bleeding with his 30th point, but sloppy play let Phoenix close within five with about two minutes left. Then Brunson, 0-for-3 from deep until then, buried a clutch three to give New York the cushion it needed to lock up win number 50.

Up Next

Chef Miranda is roasting your recap to a golden brown crisp. The Knickerbockers get a day off and then return to the Garden on Tuesday, when the Boston Celtics visit. Sleep well, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

P.S.: Here’s OG with the 360.