Brunson returns to help Knicks beat Nuggets 116-110

The Knicks earned their third straight win with an inspiring victory over the Nuggets, 116-110 at the Garden.

Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks with 24 points, while RJ Barrett and Julius Randle chipped in with 21 and 20 points respectively.

Brunson, who had missed several games this month due to injury, made his presence felt from the get-go.

Nikola Jokic tied the game at 110 with just over two and a half minutes left to play, but the Knicks would score the next 6 points to seal the game.

The game was tightly contested throughout, with both teams exchanging leads and trading blows.The Knicks had trailed 84-71 late in the third quarter, but Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart led the comeback off the bench.

Quickley, who finished the game with 10 points and Hart, who logged 13 points and 8 boards, scored consecutive key three-pointers to tie the game at 88, and the Knicks outscored the Nuggets 25-19 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

“I’m enjoying it. I think we’re all enjoying it. But we’re not complacent, I think that’s the biggest thing. I think that’s the biggest thing of this team is we have toughness, we have resilience, we have great leadership.”

– Josh Hart

The Nuggets had overcome a 13-point deficit in the second quarter to take a 67-62 lead at halftime. Despite a strong performance from Jamal Murray with 25 points and Nikola Jokic’s 24 points and 10 rebounds, the Nuggets were unable to keep up with the Knicks down the stretch.

The Nuggets have dropped 47-24 but continue to lead the Western Conference, 3.5 games above the trailing Kings. On the other hand, the Knicks are now 42-20, their most wins in a decade with 10 more games to go.

Up-next: The Knicks (42-20) will host the Timbewolves (35-36) on Monday night from 7:30 pm