The Knicks took an early lead, lost it and then stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat the Houston Rockets, 108-106, on Saturday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The Knicks got it done without Jalen Brunson to kick things off with OG Anunoby the biggest benefactor as he started the game 3-for-4 and scored seven of New York’s first 13 points. Anunoby led all scorers with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting after 12 minutes.
Josh Hart acted as the main facilitator with three assists while Mikal Bridges added two assists and two rebounds in the early part of the game.
-- Meanwhile, the Rockets struggled with their shot in the early going, particularly Kevin Durant who started 0-for-6 before hitting a three with about three minutes left in the quarter. Durant went 3-for-11 in the quarter as part of a 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) team effort.
-- Head coach Mike Brown’s first subs came with about five minutes left in the quarter, subbing out all of his starters except for Brunson. Jeremy Sochan, Landry Shamet, Mohamed Diawara and Mitchell Robinson were the first players to come off the bench. Diawara and Sochan came off the court a few minutes later for Hart and Anunoby.
-- Incredibly, Brunson had just two points in the quarter (on two made free throws in the final five seconds) and went 0-for-3 with just one assist while playing all 12 minutes and yet New York took a 27-21 lead into the second quarter.
-- Anunoby really had it working and started the second quarter the same way he opened up the game, drilling a corner three in nearly the exact same spot.
-- The Knicks opened up their lead early in the second that reached 13 points, but Houston hung in there and cut it to within one point with just over two minutes to play on Alperen Sengun’s three-pointer. They would tie it at 50 after Jabari Smith Jr. made one of two free throws. Durant’s two made free throws in the final seconds brought the Rockets all the way back and gave them a 54-53 lead going into halftime.
-- Following their poor shooting effort in the first quarter, Houston went a ridiculously efficient 12-for-15 in the second quarter. The biggest catalyst was Sengun who had 11 in the quarter and 13 at the half. Sengun, Durant and Smith combined for 37 of Houston’s 54 points.
-- Brunson went into the break without having made a field goal and only attempted four shots in what was a very uncharacteristic half for him. Anunoby’s offensive output also stalled midway through the quarter as New York was outscored 33-26 in the second quarter.
-- Things got worse for the Knicks after the break. With their leading-scorer shut down all game, New York struggled to find offense consistently. Karl-Anthony Towns did what he could with Shamet also chipping in off the bench, but it was no match for Durant who took over with 12 points in the quarter. He finished with a game-high 30 points.
-- It wasn’t until 4:21 left in the third that Brunson made his first field goal of the night. He had been 0-for-5 before that as the Rockets did a great job of neutralizing him and keeping the ball out of his hands.
-- Down by as many as 18 points early in the fourth quarter, things got interesting when New York went on a 16-4 run which included some clutch threes by Shamet and Towns. Brunson's third made shot of the game got the Knicks even closer before KAT's layup with 3:32 left in the game brought New York back to within two points.
-- After some back-and-forth, Jose Alvarado forced a steal, his fifth steal of the game, and got the ball to Brunson who drove to the basket and hit a reverse layup to tie it all up at 103. A minute later, the All-Star really sent the MSG crowd into a frenzy after drilling a pull-up jumper that put his team ahead for the first time since the second quarter.
-- That shot ended up being the dagger with Houston missing two good looks on the other end before fouling Anunoby with five seconds left. Anunoby hit both free throws (New York went 13-of-14 from the line) to go up four. Durant and the Rockets wouldn't go quietly though, hitting a three to make it a one-point game. Shamet made one of two free throws on the other end and the Knicks won a wild game with some crazy swings.
Game MVP: New York's All-Stars
Although it took him a while to get going, Brunson's shot-making at the end was clutch, but the Knicks don't get to that position without the work that Towns did earlier in the quarter.
Highlights
OG Anunoby opens the scoring 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/THtge3Taeq
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
OG steal ➡️ OG slam pic.twitter.com/ZiIIhSp7sV
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
Diawara for two! pic.twitter.com/8PCpWesnz9
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
KAT throws it down over Jabari Smith 💪 pic.twitter.com/3vfKUjfXM9
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
Here come the Knicks 👀 pic.twitter.com/a7P4EFO7s9
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
JALEN BRUNSON. pic.twitter.com/1fjV4xyB3m
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 22, 2026
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