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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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.