Knicks defeat Rockets
Rockets falter late as Knicks seal 124-118 victory
Feb 4, 2025, 11:11 am
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 all-time saves leader Billy Wagner will have his jersey number retired, an honor that coincides with his induction into the Hall of Fame, the team announced Tuesday.
Wagner's No. 13 will be the 10th number retired by the Astros during a ceremony Aug. 16. He'll be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown with Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Dave Parker and Dick Allen.
Wagner, a three-time All-Star, saved 225 games for the Astros from 1995-2003. The hard-throwing lefty finished fourth in 1999 NL Cy Young Award voting after recording 39 saves in 42 opportunities and recording a 1.57 ERA with 124 strikeouts and 35 hits allowed in 74 2/3 innings. Opponents batted just .135 against him that year.
Wagner was traded to Philadelphia in 2003, and he went on to save 197 games for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves before he retired in 2010.
Christian Walker, who signed with the Astros in December and had planned to wear No. 13, will switch to No. 8.