Jalen Brunson on Tuesday had 29 points and nine assists, while Donte DiVincenzo made a career-high nine three-pointers as the New York Knicks beat the Utah Jazz 118-103 — their eighth straight victory.
Brunson believed the Knicks were headed in the right direction when the new year started, but he did not realize they would start it with one of the best months in the franchise’s history.
DiVincenzo scored 33 to lead the Knicks, who finished last month 14-2. That was their most wins in a month since going 14-0 in March 1994 and just one shy of their most ever, when they were 15-3 in December 1968.
Photo: AP
“I’d be lying if I said I saw this coming, but I think one thing I do know is that we’re going to continue to get better every single day and that’s what we’ve been able to do,” Brunson said.
With starting forwards Julius Randle and O.G. Anunoby sidelined for the second straight night, Precious Achiuwa started and matched a season-high with 18 points.
Josh Hart finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple-double — just the 10th player in NBA history to do it by finishing exactly 10-10-10 — and Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 points and 12 boards.
Photo: Brad Penner-USA Today
Collin Sexton scored 22 points for the Jazz, who lost in New York for the second straight night to finish their road trip at 2-4. They were more competitive in this one than in their 147-114 loss on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, but eventually were overmatched.
“We’re just not doing a good enough job of being physical and this is two nights in a row where a team has made us pay for it,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
The Knicks broke open the game by outscoring the Jazz 36-24 in the third quarter, when Brunson scored 13 points. He just missed what would have been his 10th 30-point game of the month.
New York’s lead was just 61-60 after Sexton’s three-pointer, but Achiuwa scored to begin an 11-0 run that Brunson ended with a three-point play and a three-pointer, making it 72-60.
The lead was 10 after another basket by Sexton before the Knicks ran off 15 straight points, with DiVincenzo making two three-pointers in the spurt that Quentin Grimes capped with two free throws to make it 91-66 with 1 minute, 38 seconds remaining in the third.
In San Francisco, Stephen Curry conjured a 37-point masterclass as the Golden State Warriors sent the Philadelphia 76ers spinning to a fourth straight defeat with a 119-107 victory.
Warriors star Curry drained eight three-pointers in a devastating display of shooting that gave struggling Golden State and the Chase Center home crowd a much-needed lift after the team’s shaky first half of the NBA season.
Meanwhile, the Sixers were left sweating on an injury to reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who limped off in the fourth quarter after Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell heavily on his left knee as the two men wrestled for a loose ball.
Embiid, who sat out the Sixers’ previous two games with knee and Achilles soreness, had been cleared to play on Tuesday shortly before tip-off, but the Cameroon-born center was clearly not fully fit and appeared to be struggling to move freely throughout the game.
The decision to start Embiid looked even more questionable when he was hurt in the tussle with Kuminga late on.
“They’re going to do an MRI tonight or tomorrow,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “It’s unrelated to what’s been bothering him, so we’re just waiting on that. Obviously medical cleared him to play, and Joel was a big part of that. He said he was feeling good.”
Curry said that the Warriors’ victory could not have come at a better time as the seven-time NBA champions look to get their season back on track.
The Warriors, who were left reeling earlier this month after the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, are 12th in the Western Conference standings with a 20-24 record.
“It’s been an emotional ride for the whole team this whole year,” Curry said after the win. “We’ve talked about the self-inflicted wounds — we lost games we should have won, have had some things off the court in our family, dealing with that. So there’s always a sense of desperation for us. The vibes are as positive as they can be, but it’s just good to have a night like tonight where we get a win, and get over the hump, and go back to the locker room and have something to smile about.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics held off a ferocious second-half rally to defeat the Indiana Pacers 129-124, while the Los Angeles Lakers crashed to another heavy defeat, going down 138-122 on the road against the Atlanta Hawks.
In Chicago, the Toronto Raptors recovered from a 16-point first-half deficit to defeat the Bulls 118-107.
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