This one was long and action-packed, so let’s just get to it.
1st Quarter
The Knicks got off to a blistering start from three, making three of four and racing out to a 9-2 lead. Jok and Brunson traded short twos before Murray hit a three to close the gap to 13-9. After Clarkson hit the Knicks fourth trey, Jokic stepped on OG’s foot, forcing a Nuggets timeout and causing a million hearts in Colorado to skip a beat. Fortunately, he was able to walk it off, and Mal dropped his second three and then a blow-by for his 10th point to shrink the lead to 16-14 at the halfway mark. Two drives in a row later, the Knicks called a timeout to figure out how to deal with the Nuggets’ newest All-Star.
New York put up five quick out of the timeout, but another driving score with an and 1 continued a first-quarter Flurry—Mal’s 15th in a row for the Nuggets. Watson and Hardaway missed a pair of threes while Diawara hit the Knicks’ 5th to answer, but after the teams traded turnovers, THJ was fouled on a deep three and converted free throws. KAT matched on the other end despite a bloody eye (which required treatment in the locker room), but Bruce banked in a three to close out the first, giving the Nuggets a 30-28 lead after a slow start on the back of Murray’s 20 points (18 straight for the team).
2nd Quarter
The Nuggets got off to a rocky start in the second. Landry Shamet opened with another three and Robinson’s alley-oop gave the Knicks a three-point lead. Shamet’s 8th point in 8 minutes increased the lead, then THJ was called for an offensive foul. PWat forced a turnover at midcourt and Jokic converted from three. Robinson and Brown then traded emphatic dunks as the pace picked up. A CB drive and Jokic post-up restored a 42-39 lead for the Nuggets with 5:30 left in the half. Brucey B then drained a corner trey, his second, followed by Brunson and PWat swapping twos—Watson’s first basket on six attempts. Mal and Peyton scored on back-to-back possessions, giving the Nuggets their largest lead of the half and forcing a NY TO.
Towns checked back in with his “head contusion” patched and took control as Jokic sat. He quickly scored on a drive, and after the Knicks couldn’t convert on an offensive foul and a Murray miss, Towns hit a three and then converted two free throws, to disappear the Nuggets’ lead, 51-51. Murray and Brown missed again leading to an OG Anunoby dunk on a leak out, capping a 9-0 run. A tough two in the lane gave Mal his 22nd point and tied the game. Brunson drew a foul (his first of the half), converting 2-2 and giving the Knicks a 55-53 lead at the half.
3rd Quarter
The Knicks again took command of the opening minutes of the quarter with Towns and Brunson scoring four. But Watson’s first three followed by a Jokic runner off a THJ steal closed the gap to one. Then Jokic began to look for his shot, starting with a pair of free throws on a hack in the lane followed by an and-1 put back to give Denver a 65-61 after four. Brunson answered with a jumper, and after Mal and Brunson traded misses, THJ dropped a long trey, his first points of the game. After a Knicks’ timeout, Murray found THJ driving to the lane to build the lead back to seven half-way through the 3rd.
The Knicks would then hit back with a 7-0 run, starting with an Anunoby three. Clarkson then run out on a turnover followed by a Brunson and-1 in the lane to break the tie. Robinson then poked away an entry pass to Jokic and converted in transition. The MVP responded with his 20th point. but Shamet matched with his second three before Diawara finished a drive down the lane, at which point Coach Adelman called a timeout to stop the 14-2 run. But after back-to-back threes, the Knicks had a 9-point lead.
The Nuggets’ bench shooters responded. First was Hardaway from deep (with his dad watching in the stands), then Strawther, who collapsed the lead to 83-80 with 1:30 remaining. But Brunson’s 24th, matching Mal for a game high, built the lead back to eight. With the period ending, KAT committed one of his boneheaded fouls on a double-team at midcourt, sending Mal to the line where he converted both. OG’s miss at the rim as the buzzer sounded sent the game into the fourth with the Knicks leading 88-82.
4th Quarter
The Nuggets finally got the jump to start a quarter, quickly cutting the deficit to 3. But after a Clarkson jumper and Strawther turnover (14th for the team), Bridges drilled a middy. Jok responded with 1-2 from the line and back-to-back layups (25 points), cutting the lead to 94-92. Watson then committed an intentional foul as he grabbed his hamstring and then went straight to the locker room. Brunson hit a jumper over Murray with the shot clock winding down, but Mal matched with a turnaround over Shamet. With the score at 96-94, Strawther swished a corner three, his second, but Shamet matched. Jamal’s baseline jumper tied it and his steal and assist to CB flipped the lead back to the good guys.
Out of the timeout (with Jokic sitting on his minutes restriction), OG hit a three, but KAT rimmed one out. THJ’s third from deep gave the Nuggets back the lead with 3:30 left. Brunson matched with a driving conversion, and KAT’s put-back gave the Knicks a 106-104 lead with 2:30 remaining. Murray dropped his 32nd point to tie it, but Brunson matched with a hard drive for his 30th point. Jokic but Robinson in the blender but missed at the rim. With 23 second left, Bridges missed a jumper to all-but seal the game. Murray, on the other end, did not miss, tying the game at 108 Brunson then missed a game-winning jumper, sending a highly competitive game to overtime.
First Overtime
The intensity continued into the fifth period. Anunoby started the scoring with a lay-in, but the Nuggets secured several offensive boards, leading to a shooting foul on Nikola, who converted both. Brunson responded with a pair before THJ restored the Nuggets’ two-point lead. Murray then created and drilled his own corner three, followed by a Towns push-off and tip-in. Brunson then found Shamet in the corner for his fourth triple, giving the Knicks a 117-115 lead.
The Nuggets immediately responded out of a timeout as Jokic hit a jump hook in the lane (29th point). An offensive foul call on a Nuggets defensive rebound was overturned upon review but used up Denver’s last timeout with 1:31 remaining. On the ensuing possession, though, Murray was forced into a desperation heave as the shot clock expired. Towns then converted in the lane, and Mal seemed to hurt his arm in the scrum. Mal then found CB on a cut but was blocked by Bridges at the rim. OG then missed a three to win it, and KAT fouled out going for the rebound with 14.9 seconds left and the Nuggets trailing 119-117. Jok and Murray went to the two-man game, culminating in a tough three attempt for Mal as the shot expired, but a loose ball foul was called with .03 on the clock, sending Christian to the line to tie it.
CB hit the first.
CB hit the second.
ICE. IN. VEINS.
Second Overtime
The Nuggets started quick. Jokic missed his 10th three to start the OT, but Murray caused a steal and converted on a dunk in transition for his 39th point. THJ then missed from deep, and Brunson drew a foul on a drive, converting one of two. The Joker missed again from three topped by Brunson from deep, giving the Knicks a four-point lead with 2:15 left. Brown front-rimmed a trey, and the Knicks immediately converted, ballooning the lead to 6 as the Nuggets seemed gassed. Bruce answered back, though, with a strong drive. Bridges first three from the corner, though, felt like a dagger as the the Knicks led 130-123.
Jokic responded, though, with a shot fake, drawing a three-shot foul on Robinson. Well over his minutes restrictions, Jok missed the first two free-throws but made the third, cutting the lead to six with a minute left. OG missed a dunk(!), setting up a THJ triple that rattled home. Brunson then drove on CB into the lane and hit over a good contest. Joker bricked another three on the following in-bound, making him 1-13 from deep, and all-but ending a hard-fought, playoff-like brawl in Madison Square Garden.
FINAL SCORE: Denver Nuggets 127, New York Knicks 134
GAME NOTES:
- Jokic 30/14/10 in 44 minutes but was just 10-27 from the field
- Peyton Watson never returned to the game after grabbing his hamstring and heading to the locker room
- Brunson got the best of the PG duel despite 39/5/6 from Mal
