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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As we embark on another week waiting to hear which team Alex Bregman will land on, there are some new developments to discuss regarding the potential makeup of the 2025 roster.
First, it appears that Jose Altuve will get some opportunities to play left field, whether Bregman returns or not. The Athletic's Chandler Rome recently reported that the Astros were planning on playing Jorge Polanco in the infield, if they had signed him.
But the Mariners outbid the Astros, and Polanco is headed back to Seattle. Polanco's value on the market was more than the Astros anticipated in my opinion, and the team wasn't content with going past the first tax threshold in order to sign him.
Another news item that broke over the weekend was the Tigers signing of pitcher Jack Flaherty. Many were wondering if that deal would preclude Detroit from signing Bregman. But according to reports, the Flaherty contract won't impact their decision on Bregman.
What about the Cubs?
Reports indicate the Cubs are serious about adding Bregman, but they also suggest there is some concern that a 6-year deal without any opt-outs could prevent the Cubs from signing Kyle Tucker long-term. Would Breggy roll the dice on signing a deal Chicago could void after one season?
Jeff Bagwell speaks about Bregman
For those wondering if the Astros will up their offer to Alex, I think we got our answer. Baggy basically said the team gave Alex their “best offer,” and it's on him to go shop it.
On the farm
Keith Law of The Athletic recently posted his list of the best minor league systems. To no one's surprise, the Astros are near the bottom of the list coming in at 29th out of 30 teams, and they only have one Top 100 prospect (Cam Smith). Only the Angels are ranked lower (30th), but it is worth noting that the Braves system (Houston GM Dana Brown's former organization) came in right in front of Houston at number 28.
I only say that to point out that Brown was brought in from Atlanta for his scouting ability, and the Braves having seemingly fallen off when it comes to minor league talent. No fault of Brown's, but worth noting.
Houston's dearth of talent in the minors is the main reason this offseason is so crucial if they want to continue their winning ways. They can't count on any help coming from the farm, and the outfield is already a huge concern.
Finally, Bleacher Report shared their offseason grades last week, and they gave Houston a D. Based on the amount of talent that left this offseason, it's hard to argue with their assessment. Ryan Pressly, Kyle Tucker, Justin Verlander, Yusei Kikuchi, and Bregman (the Astros have maintained re-signing him is a “long shot.” )
There's no way around it. That's a lot to overcome. But it doesn't mean they can't win the division as presently constructed.
We have way more to get to! Be sure to watch the video above for the full discussion!
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