Knicks 124, Rockets 118: Scenes from the captain defusing the Rockets

Brunson’s 42-10 double-double and NY’s 46 points in the fourth overcomes an 11-point deficit and Amen Thompson’s triple-double.

The New York Knicks (33-17) lost to the Houston Rockets (32-17) by 12 back in November. Tonight they met again, this time at Madison Square Garden, and would have suffered the same result if not for the heroics of team captain, Jalen Brunson. With a 42-point, 10-assist double-double, Jalen led his team on a massive fourth-quarter rally to flip an 11-point deficit for a 124-118 victory.

For much of the night, this game was a festering stomach ulcer. Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun were out for Houston, so Amen Thompson stepped up to lead his club with a 25-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. Houston’s bench scored 41 points compared to New York’s 12. The Rockets won the glass 50-40. New York shot just 6-of-26 from deep tonight and committed 14 turnovers. Even when they took a brief lead in the third quarter, this just didn’t feel like a game New York would pull out. Until that crazy fourth.

Too soon to hang the jersey in the rafters?

Houston overcame an early four-point deficit with a 13-4 run, sparked by Jalen Green’s three-pointer and assist, taking a 27-25 lead by the quarter’s end. Jalen Brunson’s aggressive play led a Knicks counterattack, but despite their efforts, they trailed 57-52 at halftime. Houston dominated the boards 32-28, thanks in part to Steven Adams, and both teams struggled from three-point range, with New York hitting just 20% and Houston 25%. Amen Thompson and Mikal Bridges each scored 14 points to lead their respective teams by the break.

The Knicks flipped the script early in the third quarter, scoring 10 straight points to take a lead again midway through the frame. Their advantage was short-lived, however, as Adams and the Rockets continued to edge them out for rebounds and convert them to points. Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore (18 points, five boards, two steals, and a block) outdid a nice quarter by Jalen Brunson, and Houston went on a 17-4 run to wrap up the quarter, 89-78.

Karl-Anthony Towns made his first three-pointer of the game to give the Knicks hope at the crack of the quarter. Then Bridges, Brunson, and Josh Hart led a run that brought the Knicks back within three.

This sequence:

Bridges finished the night with 22 points and a team-high +29. Give him a gold star, too.

Reserve man Aaron Holiday averages four points a game for Houston. He exploded for a season-high 15 points tonight. He also put up 18 against them last February. Go figure. He was giving us agita, and Thompson seemed to answer with a bucket every time the Knicks got close. It wasn’t until Karl-Anthony Towns cooked Brooks for an And-1 that New York took a 1-point lead with three and a half remaining. The lead flip-flopped from there. There were at least 19 lead changes tonight. Thompson would score on aggressive drives, and Brunson would answer. With a minute left, the Knicks got the ball back on a well-defended shot clock violation, and Brunson swished his first trey of the game to take a four-point lead, their largest of the night. It wasn’t the final bucket, but it sealed the game.

Up Next

Professor has a recap coming. And New York tests the Canadian hospitality with a trip to Toronto tomorrow night. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score