Knicks Blow Doors Off Nuggets in Mile High City. NY 145 Denver 118

November 27, 2024 LouV 2024-25 0
OG Anunoby was ON FIRE all night -- from offense and defense

The Knicks came out with aggression and defense and hit seemingly every 3 they took to blow the doors off the Nuggets in Denver on a Monday night, 145-118.

OG Anunoby starred with 40 points on amazing 16-23 shooting (5-7 from 3), Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the interior with 30 pts (on 12-15 shooting), 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and dished out 17 assists, and Josh Hart was everywhere, igniting the offense with defense and interceptions all night despite being in foul trouble.

Miles McBride was back from injury and looked great, scoring 13 points (and going 3-6 from 3).

NY led by 12 after 1 quarter, by 23 at the half, by 26 after 3, and by 30 in the 4th. They closed out the 2nd and 3rd quarters particularly well — pushing back Denver attempts to get back in the game. The Knicks tied a franchise record with 45 assists.

“The team has been very unselfish all year long,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “We’re getting a better rhythm, and creating good shots. We’re finding the guy with the hot hand or good matchup, and we’re doing it through movement. And that’s everyone working together to create the right shots. When we do that we’re an excellent offensive team, and I think we’ve shown that all year.”

“Even the other night when we lost the shots that we had were good shots,” added Thibs. “Just keep trusting each other. Each night it can be someone different. Tonite OG was unbelievable. Guys made a conscious effort to search him out, find him, create shots for him, and he kept moving. Jalen had an unbelievable floor game. KAT gave us a presence inside. Mikal and OG defensively were fantastic. And the bench was terrific.”

NY improves to 10-7; Denver falls to 9-7.

1. Knicks Hit the 3 Ball from the Start

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby hit 3’s in the opening minutes of the game as NY came out with aggression after the loss to the Jazz 2 nights earlier. But it was still close at 20-18 Knicks, when Brunson and Anunoby really started cooking late in the 1st quarter.

Anunoby hit a step-back 18 footer, then a 3 to up the NY lead to 25-18.

Brunson then took over — hitting back-to-back pullups, a drive, and a 3 to put NY up 34-22.

Brunson fed Anunoby for a drive at the end of the quarter for a 36-24 NY lead.

2. NY Defended “With Urgency”

NY continued to build the lead as they not only defended, but defended “with urgency”, as Jamal Crawford put it on the broadcast.  Josh Hart was everywhere, and NY wouldn’t allow Denver anything easy inside. The Knicks picked off passes inside and were out guarding the 3 too.

Karl-Anthony Towns took over on offense at the start of the 2nd, with some help from energizer Cameron Payne off the bench.

Towns hit a 3, Payne hit a drive-and-1, Towns dunked off a Josh Hart assist, Payne hit a 3, and Towns hit another 3 and NY was up by 21 at 50-29.

Michael Porter Jr scored a bunch of buckets for Denver, and so did Nikola Jokic — but for the Knicks were able to keep Jokic under control. Denver missed 3’s, and even chippy’s inside, harassed by Knick defense.

3. Knicks Finish 2nd Quarter Well

NY was up by 23 when Denver made their first run of the game with 5:30 left in the half. Peyton Watson made a drive, Jamal Murray hit a 16-footer, and Michael Porter Jr. hit a 3 and just like that Denver was within 16 with 4:35 left. Denver cut it to 14 — at 64-50 NY — with a Michael Porter bucket with 2:52 left.

Jamal Crawford noted on the broadcast that this was an inflection point — if Denver made more of a run they could cut it down to 11 by the half; if NY played well they could push it back to 21.

And just like that, NY pushed it back to 21 — even better — they pushed to a 23-pt lead at the half. It started with a tough bucket inside by Karl-Anthony Towns.

Anunoby then hit a deuce, Towns hit a floater off a Brunson assist, and Josh Hart stole the ball from Porter and hit OG for a dunk

Brunson finished the half with a drive-and-1 and NY was up 76-53.

4. Anunoby Pours It On in 3rd Quarter

NY kept a 20+ point lead throughout most of the 3rd, led in scoring and defense by OG Anunoby who was everywhere on both ends.

“OG Anunoby makes you earn yours on one end by getting into you defensively, hedging over screens, playing the passing lanes while taking pride in getting stops,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “And on the other end he’s shooting the ball with confidence, good slasher/cutter, attacking closeouts while forcing nothing.”

Miles McBride added extra spice — coming in and looking sharp –hitting 3’s.

5. Westbrook Leads One Final Denver Charge

The Knicks were up by 30 with 10:23 left in the game and Denver looked like they were going to roll over but Russell Westbrook came in and would have none of that — he single-handedly started attacking the Knicks and soon Denver was on another run.

Westbrook hit two drives, and made 4 free throws off 2 more drives, then 2 deuces and consecutive 3’s and Denver was within 127-107 with 5:22 left. Josh Hart countered with a 3, but Westbrook countered that with a drive-and-1, and then another 3 and Denver was down by 17 with 4:28 left.

Jamal Crawford said the game had reached another inflection point on the broadcast.

The Knicks responded. Anunoby dunked off a Brunson assist, Hart hit a 16-foot stepback, then Towns stole the ball inside and fed Hart for a drive-and-1. NY was back up by 24 with 3:06 left. Mikal Bridges hit a 3 after a timeout and NY had 10 points in a row and ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401704849

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