The New York Knicks captured their fourth consecutive win on Wednesday night, dominating the Phoenix Suns 138-122.
The Knicks’ offense was flowing from the get-go, as they managed to put up 44 points in just the first quarter alone. New York maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way, led by the starters, who all scored in double-figures. Here are a few takeaways from the win:
Jalen Brunson & Karl-Anthony Towns Combine for 70 points
The powerhouse duo of guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns erupted against the Suns. Brunson led all the Knicks in scoring with 36 points, including a season-high seven 3-pointers. The guard feasted in the first half of the game, putting up 23 points by halftime.
This is the third consecutive game that Brunson has obtained 10 assists or more. It’s evident that his playmaking has improved, as the 28-year-old is now averaging 7.3 assists per game compared to 6.7 last season.
A large part of that enhancement for Brunson has been because of his teammate Towns. The center has been shooting quite efficiently from both the field and the 3-point line, at 55.1% and 50.0%. So far, Brunson has delivered 28 assists to Towns, which is the most he’s dished out between all of his teammates (via pbpstats.com). This duo of Brunson and Towns is coming into sight as one of these duos in the league. Towns ended the game scoring 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, adding to his twelfth double-double of the season.
Josh Hart doing it all on both ends
Knicks guard Josh Hart had a double-double performance against the Suns, putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. This already marks his sixth double-double of the season, just 15 games in.
Hart is having a remarkable shooting season thus far at 59.6% for two-point field goals. He’s especially flourishing down low within the restricted area, where he’s currently shooting at 77.6%. Once again, Hart showed his hustle against the Suns, doing all of the little things that impact winning, including capturing three steals.
Scoring in transition
The Knicks triumphed in transition last night, scoring 28 fast break points. The defense forced 14 Suns turnovers and capitalized on them. These fast break points contributed to the Knicks’ exceptional first quarter, as they attained 16 of those points in the first nine minutes of the game.
The Knicks have four games left of this West Coast road trip. They will face the Utah Jazz this Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
