Knicks Win Epic Battle, Twice. NY 134 Denver 127 in 2 OT

February 5, 2026 LouV 2025-26 0
Mitchell Robinson Dominated on offense (10 pts on 5-5 shooting) and Defense. Photo courtesy NY Knicks.

Jalen Brunson dominated the 2nd overtime with 6 straight points and 10 pts in the period as the Knicks beat Denver, 134-127 in double overtime on a Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

It was a game the Knicks seemingly had won at the end of the 1st overtime — when Jamal Murry missed a 3 with .8 seconds left and the Knicks got the rebound for a 119-117 win.

But referee Tyler Ford called a loose-ball foul on Mikal Bridges who was boxing out Christian Braun for the rebound. Bridges did push Braun out but contact seemed to start with .3 seconds left, and his actual push-away of Braun seemed to come with 0 on the clock. As Alan Hahn pointed out on the post game, there would have been little Braun could do if he got the ball with .3 seconds left — he couldn’t have gotten a shot off — so it seemed incidental contact in a game wherein the refs had been “letting them play” all night long.

In any case NY had Karma in its Corner and Jalen Brunson, who took care of the 2nd OT.

Brunson finished with 42 pts on 14-27 shooting (5-12 from 3) as the ultimate hero for NY, along with other heroes, including most especially:

  • Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson — who played a tremendous tag-team game against Nikola Jokic. Jokic still had 30 pts but shot 1-13 from 3; he was frequently hounded by Mitch at the 3-pt line, and blocked inside by Mitch a couple of times. Meanwhile KAT put the pressure on — scoring 24 pts on 9-13 shooting (2-6 from 3) with 12 rebounds and a +12 before fouling out. Mitchell Robinson had 10 pts (on 5-5 shooting) including a rare drive to the basket, and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes.
  • OG Anunoby (20 pts on 7-17 shooting, 4-9 from 3, with 8 rebound), and
  • Landry Shamet (16 pts, 4-10 from 3).

Mikal Bridges and Shamet had to chase around Jamal Murray all night — and Murray was hard to stop with 39 pts on 15-33 shooting (3-14 from 3).

“Felt like a playoff game,” said Mitchell Robinson afterwards. “We came out with the right energy and mindset; we had to get it done.”

“Our defensive player of the game was Mitch,” said coach Mike Brown afterwards. “It could have easily gone to OG. Both those guys were fantastic. You talk about a talent in Jokic and a talent in Murray. Those guys were a combined 25-60 from the floor. You’re not stopping those guys, you just hope you can make them both work on that end of the floor.”

NY improves to 33-18, still tied for 2nd in the East with Boston. 5 behind Detroit. Denver drops to 33-19, in 3rd in the West, 7 behind Oklahoma.

1. Knicks Take 11-2 Lead — But Murray Comes On Like Crazy Man

NY jumped out to an 8-0 lead on buckets by Jalen Brunson, Jordan Clarkson, and KAT, and upped the lead to 11-2 on a 3-pointer by OG Anunoby before Denver and Jamal Murray got tracked.

Murray proceeded to eat NY alive — getting hot both on 3’s and on inside floaters — scoring 9 straight points (and 12 straight for Denver) to give the Nuggets an 18-16 lead. Murray scored 20 pts in the quarter, as both Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet took turns trying to defend him but could not cool him down.

Mitchell Robinson came in and effected the game with his defense, but fouled Tim Hardaway Jr. on a 3-pter, and old friend/nemesis Hardaway made 3 free throws to put Denver up 27-26.

KAT got hammered on a drive late in the quarter — his forehead banging against the head of Spencer Jones. KAT drew a gash with lots of blood. But after a long timeout, KAT went to the free throw line and hit both free throws, before going to the locker room, where he got 6 stitches.

Denver led 30-28 lead after 1.

2. Denver Takes 7-Pt Lead in 2nd — KAT Pushes Back

Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Tyler Kolek and the 2nd team carried NY early in the 2nd quarter, with Robinson making several buckets inside including a driving dunk past Jokic for a 37-34 Knick lead.

Robinson was giving Jokic a hard time on both ends of the court, at one point slam dunking on him inside, then blocking his shot down the other end.

But Denver pushed back, taking a 51-44 lead with 3:11 left in the half on buckets by Jokic, Bruce Brown, Jamal Murray, and Peyton Watson.

But NY punched right back — led by KAT with a deuce inside, a 3, and 2 free throws off a drive for 7 straight points and a tie game at 51-51.

Buckets by OG and Brunson gave NY a 55-53 halftime lead.

3. Denver Goes Up 7 in 3rd: Mitch & Knicks Push Back with 20-4 Run

But Jokic and Denver got buckets out of the gate in the 3rd, and then Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a 3 and a deuce and Denver went up 70-63. It was starting to look like Denver would take control of the game.

NY’s offense seemed mired in a rut against Denver’s tight Defense.

NY pushed back — a big corner 3 by OG, a huge bucket inside by Jordan Clarkson that he got the roll on, and then a jumper by Brunson and it was a tie game. Brunson hit Mitchell Robinson for an alley-oop dunk and NY had 9 straight pts and the lead at 72-70.

Jokic pushed back with a bucket, but OG hit Another 3 and Mohamed Diawara scored on a drive off a Brunson assist.

Brunson hit several 3’s late in the quarter as NY pushed its lead to 88-80. The Knicks took an 88-82 lead into the 4th.

4. Firefight in 4th — Brunson Misses Game Winner

NY had a 94-87 lead early in the 4th when Jokic scored 5 straight points to make it a 2-pt game again. A Julian Strawther 3 gave Denver back the lead.

But Landry Shamet hit a Huge momentum-killing 3 and NY was back on top — 99-97.

An OG 3 put NY up a point; a Tim Hardaway 3 put Denver back on top 104-102 with 3:48 left.

Firefight.

Jalen Brunson tied the game with a Huge bucket with 3:11 left, and KAT put NY ahead with an offensive rebound and bucket inside with 2:43 left — NY 106 Denver 104.

Jamal Murray hit a step-back to tie it with 1:59 left but Brunson countered with a drive to give NY a 108-106 lead with 1:14 left.

Mitchell Robinson did a JOB on Jokic, forcing a miss, but Bridges missed on the other end, and Jamal Murray tied the game at 108-108 with a midrange jumper with 19 seconds left.

Jalen Brunson had a chance to win it — but his step-back jumper with a second left rolled out.

Denver actually got the last shot with .6 seconds left — but Jokic missed a hurl.

5. KAT & Brunson Lead Knicks to OT Win — NOT

OG scored early in OT to give NY the lead, but Jokic free throws and a Hardaway deuce put Denver up. Brunson tied it with free throws off a drive, but Jamal Murray hit a 3 and Denver was up 115-112 with 2:56 left.

That’s when KAT got a huge offensive rebound off a Bridges miss, and put it in for a 115-114 game.

Shamet hit a 3 next time down and NY was up 117-115 with 2:03 left.

Mitchell Robinson was playing maniac defense — even taking out Jamal Murray — forcing him into a heave of a rushed jumper.

Jokic tied it with a bucket, but again KAT scored inside off a Brunson assist to put NY up 119-117 with 1:01 left.

Then Bridges got a Huge block of a Christian Braun dunk attempt and NY had the ball with 44 seconds left.

But Brunson took too long developing a shot, passed to OG for a rushed 3 as the 24-second clock was running out — which missed and KAT was called for a foul on the rebound — fouling him out of the game with 14 seconds left.

Denver had a final chance to tie — but Jamal Murray missed a 3 with .8 seconds left and the Knicks won 119-117 as time expired.

Not.

Ref Tyler Ford called an off-ball foul on Mikal Bridges blocking out Christian Braun — and Braun was awarded 2 free throws with .3 being put on the clock — and made both to send the game into OT.

6. Brunson Says F You — Carries Knicks to Win in 2nd OT

Jamal Murray stole the ball from Brunson to begin the 2nd OT, and scored ahead of the field to give Denver a 121-119 lead.

And that — plus the ref call to end regulation — seemed to piss Brunson off. Brunson had also been smacked in the head on a hard foul by Jokic in the 4th quarter that the refs reviewed for a flagrant but ruled an ordinary foul — so karma was definitely in the Knicks corner.

And so Brunson took over.

Brunson scored a 12-foot banker, hit a free throw after being fouled on a drive next time down, then hit a 3 for 6 straight pts and a 125-121 Knick lead with 3:12 left.

Brunson then fed Shamet for a drive with 2:08 left for a 127-121 Knick lead.

Bruce Brown came back with a deuce, but Mikal Bridges — who had shot poorly all game — hit a Huge corner 3 for a 130-123 Knick lead with 1:25 left.

With KAT out, Mitchell Robinson manned the Knick center duties throughout the 2nd OT — and he was a maniac on Defense. But he got a bit carried away defending Jokic at the 3 and fouled him.

A tired Jokic missed 2 of 3 free throws, but OG missed a dunk in traffic down the other end with 53 seconds left, and Tim Hardaway Jr.hit a 3 and it was a game again — NY 130 Denver 127 with 46 seconds left.

And so rose up one more time Jalen Brunson — with a CLUTCH drive and floater for a 132-127 Knick lead with 30 seconds left.

“Jalen Brunson dictates where he wants to go and how he will beat u whether attacking his defenders top foot, keeping his defender on hip to hit floater, finishing in lane, hitting his jumper, creating contact, backing his defender down, finding the open man all while using fundamentals,” summed up NBA Analyst Ross Kreines.

Jokic missed another 3 with 30 seconds left and Denver was forced to foul — they fouled Brunson who hit both free throws for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810581

 

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