Towns ignites Knicks’ 18-point fourth-quarter comeback over Rockets
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NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns scored seven of his 27 points in the final 12 minutes, powering the New York Knicks to a 108-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks trailed by 18 entering the fourth quarter but dominated the period 33-15. Jalen Brunson, held without a field goal through three quarters, went 4-for-4 in the final stanza and finished with 20 points and seven assists, including the go-ahead basket.
Head coach Mike Brown said Towns set the tone during the break between quarters. “He told the group, ‘It starts defensively. We need a stop,’” Brown recounted. Towns immediately forced Alperen Sengun into a tough attempt, sparking the turnaround.
Brown clarified the team’s hierarchy before tip-off — Brunson first, Towns second, then everyone else — after Towns had expressed discomfort in the offense earlier in the season. The Knicks have simplified their sets to accommodate the All-Star, whose shooting numbers have dipped from his career marks.
With Houston sending traps at Brunson most of the night, Towns scored 11 early points to keep New York close before the Rockets rebuilt a double-digit edge in the third quarter.
Trade-deadline addition Jose Alvarado recorded five steals for the second time since joining the Knicks, three of them in the fourth. OG Anunoby supplied constant defensive pressure as New York cut the deficit to six in a five-minute burst fueled by three-point shooting.
Houston entered the night 18th in the NBA’s clutch rankings — games within five points in the final five minutes — and struggled again late. Kevin Durant, the league’s 11th-leading scorer, went 2-for-7 in the fourth quarter. After a 50-foot inbounds pass with 0.3 seconds left, his last-second three-pointer fell short and right.
“Same story. We’ve lost too many like this,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said, citing turnovers and stagnant offense.
The win helped New York erase memories of Thursday’s blowout loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. The Knicks open a three-game road trip Sunday in Chicago.
“Forty-eight hours ago we didn’t play our best,” Towns said. “Tonight we showed resiliency and got it done.”
Source: ESPN
