One of the best basketball participant on the planet appeared common, and the Knicks took benefit.
Besieged by early foul hassle and flustered late by the Knicks’ aggressiveness, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, the triple-double machine, produced a single-double with simply 17 factors in New York’s fifth straight victory Wednesday, 122-112.
Jalen Brunson was one of the best participant on both staff at MSG, racking up 30 factors with 15 assists.
The streaking Knicks (32-16), who now have consecutive assertion wins after destroying the Grizzlies on Monday, stay one sport again of second within the East behind the Celtics, who blew out the Bulls on Wednesday.
Brunson was helped by 5 different Knicks scoring in double digits, together with 23 from OG Anunoby.
On the opposite aspect, Jokic recorded simply six assists and 6 rebounds on 6-for-15 capturing — all properly beneath his MVP-caliber averages.
Jokic’s rhythm was off from the start, having picked up two fouls after about two minutes.
With Jokic sitting all however 9 minutes of the opening half, the Knicks took an early 12-point lead and held a six-point edge on the break.
Then Brunson took over with 18 factors within the third quarter, sending Denver’s defenders in circles.
Anunoby continued his resurgent finish of January, dropping 14 factors within the first half on 6-for-7 capturing.
For Anunoby, who scored a career-high 40 factors in Denver in late November, there’s one thing about dealing with the Nuggets.
“OG was phenomenal that night time [in November] and everybody contributed, their stars and their bench,” Denver coach Mike Malone stated earlier than Wednesday’s tipoff. “After which have a look at what they did of their final two video games, averaging 143 and making 17 3s in each video games and scoring 20 an evening in transition, 64 within the paint, dominated the offensive glass.
“They’re impacting the sport throughout so many ranges. Generally it’s like they will run you out of the fitness center. They will shoot quite a lot of 3s. Proper now, the Knicks are firing on all cylinders. I don’t see a weak point. And that’s all the time scary when you find yourself about to play a staff that’s enjoying properly.”
The Knicks had additionally received 4 of their previous 5 in opposition to the Nuggets heading into Wednesday, a shocking file contemplating Denver has resided in title rivalry throughout that point.
The Nuggets (28-19) have dropped three straight, all in the beginning of an extended highway journey.