Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns lead Knicks on romp past Wizards
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks watches a thre- point attempt during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Call it a winning streak.
Jump-started by a first-quarter three-point barrage and pushed to the finish line by a balanced scoring effort and continued smooth shooting in the second half, the Knicks coasted to a 134-106 victory over the Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Monday night for their first three-game winning streak of the young season.
The Knicks (8-6), who scored a season-high in points and shot a season-best 50% from three-point range, are two games over .500 for the first time. They never let the Wizards (2-11) get their fingerprints on the final three quarters, commanding a double-digit lead for the final 39:11.
Jalen Brunson bounced back from a season-low 12-point performance in Sunday’s 114-104 win over the Nets with a team-high 26 points Monday. Brunson shot 9-for-15, including 5-for-9 from three. Brunson, who also had 11 assists, recorded his 30th career double-double.
All five starters were in double figures as Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points with 12 rebounds, OG Anunoby had 16, Josh Hart had 14 and Mikal Bridges had 14.
No Knick played more minutes than Bridges’ 34:32 which is good considering that they will begin a five-game road trip beginning Wednesday in Phoenix against the Suns.
In the first and only lead change of Monday's game, a layup by Brunson gave the Knicks their first lead at 13-12 with 7:45 left. The Knicks extended their lead to 30-19 on Anunoby’s dunk 4:33 later for their first double-digit edge.
Three-pointers started raining early for the Knicks, who made 7 of 10 threes in the first quarter. They led by as many as 25 points in the first half and their biggest lead in the game was 34.
The Knicks went 5-for-10 from three in the third quarter — including a 1:14 span late in the period when Brunson hit three consecutive three-points, capped by a four-point play with 53 seconds left in the quarter. The Knicks took a 109-75 lead into the final frame.
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
