The New York Knicks bounced back from a tough loss with a huge statement win Monday over the Denver Nuggets. They dominated from start to finish 145-118. New York has now won five of its last six games, and they improve to 10-7 on the season, while Denver drops to 9-7.
OG Anunoby had his best game of the season against the Nuggets
OG Anunoby has been brilliant in November, and he continued that with undoubtedly his best game of the season against the Nuggets.
Anunoby exploded for a career-high 40 points on 16-for-23 shooting from the floor and 5-for-7 from three. He grabbed five rebounds, dished four assists, and blocked two shots on the night. He was a +21.
Anunoby has taken his game to a whole new level and has quickly become the team’s third option on offense behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. He is showing each game why he was paid $212.5 million by the Knicks this offseason, and could sneakily creep into the All-Star conversation if this positive trend continues.
The Knicks offense was prolific in every aspect
This game against the Nuggets was one of the best offensive performances in Knicks history. They recorded 23 assists as a team in the first half, the most in a half in franchise history, and finished with 45 on the night, which tied a franchise record for the most assists in a single game.
Additionally, seven Knicks players scored in double figures along with Anunoby’s 40-piece. Brunson recorded a double-double with 23 points and a career-high 17 assists with just two turnovers. Towns bounced back from an awful shooting night against the Utah Jazz with a hyper-efficient 30-point, 15-rebound performance on 12-for-15 shooting from the floor.
Miles McBride added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in his first game back after missing the previous five games with knee inflammation. Cameron Payne continued to be the spark plug off the Knicks’ bench with 11 points and five assists in 17 minutes.
The Knicks made it look easy to score against the Nuggets on Monday. Overall, they shot a ridiculous 60.9% from the field and 52.8% from three. Although the Nuggets put up 118 points, they weren’t nearly as efficient as the Knicks as they shot just 44.6% from the field and 33.3% from three, which gave the Knicks a prime opportunity to tack on their lead and never look back.
Mikal Bridges is still in a shooting slump
Despite all of the good that came out of this game for the Knicks, Mikal Bridges is the one player who did not have an enjoyable game. He struggled mightily against the Nuggets, as he shot just 6-for-16 from the field and 2-for-8 from three.
He finished the night with 14 points and six assists. The process to get Bridges clean looks was on point, as he was set up numerous times to knock down shots, but his shooting woes from Utah carried over into Denver.
Luckily for the Knicks, everybody else gave positive contributions on both ends and picked up Bridges’ slack.
Overview
The Knicks are now 2-1 on the West Coast trip and have been playing some of their best basketball of late. It was encouraging to see them flush the last game out of their system and bounce back with a big win against a championship contender on the road.
The Knicks will now head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks before the Thanksgiving holiday. That game is scheduled to tip off Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. EST.