Knicks defeat Rockets

Rockets falter late as Knicks seal 124-118 victory

Rockets Ime Udoka
Another tough loss for Houston. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Brunson had 42 points and 10 assists, breaking a tie with Carmelo Anthony for third on the franchise list with his 18th 40-point game with the Knicks, and New York beat the Houston Rockets 124-118 on Monday night.

Brunson scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Knicks back in a game they trailed by 11 after three. He ended up with his 12th game with at least 30 points and 10 assists since coming to New York, passing Hall of Famer Richie Guerin for most in franchise history.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each added 22 points for the Knicks. Josh Hart had 19.

Amen Thompson had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in his third career triple-double for the Rockets, who have lost three in a row for the first time all season. Cam Whitmore added 18 points off the bench.

Takeaways

Rockets: With All-Star Alperen Sengun among the missing players for the Rockets, it's been a rough start to February after an 11-4 January that earned Ime Udoka Western Conference coach of the month honors. Houston started nobody taller than 6-foot-8 Monday.

Knicks: Brunson gave the Knicks something extra on a night they played without starting forward OG Anunoby for the first time this season because of a sprained right foot.

Key moment

Brunson's layup gave the Knicks the lead with 1:38 remaining and he followed with a 3-pointer that made it 118-114 with a minute to play.

Key stat

Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing (30) and Bernard King (23) are the only players with more 40-point games as a Knick than Brunson, who is in his third season with the team.

Up next

The Rockets head across town to visit Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Knicks visit Toronto on Tuesday.

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Houston Astros survive ninth-inning threat to top Rays

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Astros let lead slip late in tough loss to Rays

Chas McCormick gets another start in Game 2. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros will aim to lock up a series victory Tuesday night as they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Houston (25–22) took the opener 4–3 on Monday and has now won five of its last ten games, continuing a recent surge that has pulled them back above .500 and into second place in the AL West. Tampa Bay (21–26) sits fourth in the AL East and has struggled to find consistency, especially at home where they are now just 11–18.

The Astros will turn to left-hander Brandon Walter, who is set to make his season debut. Walter, a depth option from the Astros' system, gets the nod with the club working through recent rotation injuries.

The Rays counter with right-hander Zack Littell (3–5, 4.31 ERA), who has been solid but not dominant across his first nine starts. He’s struck out 32 batters in 54.1 innings with a strong 1.12 WHIP.

Team trends

Houston holds the AL’s fifth-best team on-base percentage (.318) and has gone 6–4 over its last 10 games, posting a .252 batting average and a 3.78 team ERA in that span. Tampa Bay is 5–5 over its last 10, hitting .236 while their pitching staff has combined for a 4.34 ERA.

Players to watch

  • Jake Meyers continues to provide timely power for Houston, while Isaac Paredes has been one of Houston's steadiest hitters, going 11-for-37 with three home runs over his last 10 games.
  • Jonathan Aranda leads the Rays with a .309 batting average and has been a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup.
  • Chandler Simpson, a recent spark plug for Tampa, is hitting .364 over his last 10 games.

Betting line

According to BetMGM, the Astros are slight road favorites at -114, with the Rays at -105. The over/under is set at 9.5 runs, signaling expectations for a potentially high-scoring matchup.

With the series opener in their pocket and Walter making his first appearance of the year, the Astros will look to keep momentum rolling in Tampa and inch closer to the top of the AL West standings.

Here's a look at Tuesday's night's lineup:

Yainer Diaz gets the night off, with Victor Caratini catching Walter in his big league debut. Chas McCormick is in the lineup again playing left field, and Zach Dezenzo gets the nod in the DH spot.

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