Knicks win 9th straight as Brunson sits

Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and 21 rebounds and Josh Hart notched his second straight triple-double as the Knicks won for the 14th time in 16 games.

Hart finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to become the first Knicks player since Michael Ray Richardson in 1981 with consecutive triple-doubles. Hart has four this season and became the fourth player to have 10 triple-doubles with the Knicks.

Mikal Bridges scored 27 points and OG Anunoby had 22 for New York. Brunson missed the game with right calf tightness and was replaced by Cam Payne, who finished with eight points and nine assists.

Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton each scored 25 for the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight.

New York had to change plans after Deuce McBride, who was originally set to start for Brunson, developed left hamstring tightness during warmups.

Payne was inserted into the starting lineup and rookie Tyler Kolek played 12 minutes off the bench after logging 40 minutes earlier in the day, finishing with 36 points and 11 assists in the Westchester Knicks' overtime victory over Indiana in a G League game.

got it done. pic.twitter.com/AZE2e4vs00

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 2, 2025

Nikola Jokić had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists in leading the Denver Nuggets to a 139-120 win over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

Jokic nearly notched a triple-double in the first half, finishing an assist shy. He had his league-leading 14th of the season and 144th career triple-double early in the third quarter.

Jokic is the first player in NBA history to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds & 15 assists in a game while playing 30 minutes or less.

Jamal Murray scored 21 points, while Russell Westbrook added 16 to go with 11 assists as the Nuggets won their third straight game. It started a busy 17-game month on the right note for Denver.

The Nuggets finished a perfect 21 of 21 from the free throw line. They also set a season-high in assists with 44 as they finished 2-0 against the Hawks this season. The Nuggets won in Atlanta 141-111 on Dec. 8 behind Jokic’s 48-point, 14-rebound performance.

Young had 30 points and nine assists, while reserve De’Andre Hunter added 20 as Atlanta saw its four-game win streak halted.

Stringing together some Ws pic.twitter.com/it2tODLGIj

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 2, 2025

Alperen Sengun had 23 points, Jalen Green added 22 and the Houston Rockets built a big lead early in the second half and sailed to a 110-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Dillon Brooks had 19 points and Cam Whitmore added 18 to help the Rockets get back on track after dropping two straight.

The Mavericks led by four midway through the second quarter before Houston used a 21-8 run to take a 61-52 lead into halftime. Green scored eight points in that stretch and Whitmore added two 3-pointers.

The Rockets then opened the second half with an 11-4 spurt that pushed it to 72-56 with nine minutes left in the third.

Houston was up by 14 entering the fourth and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the quarter.

Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Klay Thompson (illness) and Dereck Lively II (hip) returned after sitting out Monday for Dallas. But Naji Marshall remained out, serving a four-game suspension for his role in a fight against the Suns.