By ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and 21 rebounds, Josh Hart notched his second straight triple-double and the New York Knicks won their ninth straight game, beating the Utah Jazz 119-103 on Wednesday night, Jan. 1, despite playing without leading scorer Jalen Brunson.
Hart finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists to become the first Knicks player since Michael Ray Richardson in 1981 with consecutive triple-doubles. Hart has four this season and became the fourth player to have 10 triple-doubles with the Knicks.
Mikal Bridges scored 27 points and OG Anunoby had 22 for the Knicks. Brunson missed the game with right calf tightness and was replaced by Cam Payne, who finished with eight points and nine assists.
Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton each scored 25 for the Jazz, who lost their fifth straight.
The guards tried to keep Utah in it, but it was far too tough a task with Lauri Markkanen shooting just 6 for 22 en route to his 16 points.
A team that added Towns and Bridges in part so it wouldn’t be so reliant on Brunson had no trouble without him, shooting 55% from the field.
Meanwhile in Denver, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists in leading the Nuggets to a 139-120 win over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
Jokic nearly notched a triple-double in the first half, finishing an assist shy. He secured his 144th career triple-double early in the third quarter.
Jamal Murray scored 21 points, while Russell Westbrook added 16 to go with 11 assists as the Nuggets won their third straight game. It started a busy 17-game month on the right note for Denver.
The Nuggets finished a perfect 21 of 21 from the free throw line. They also set a season-high in assists with 44 as they finished 2-0 against the Hawks this season. The Nuggets won in Atlanta 141-111 on Dec. 8 behind Jokic’s 48-point, 14-rebound performance.
Young had 30 points and nine assists, while reserve De’Andre Hunter added 20 as Atlanta saw its four-game win streak halted.
In Houston, Alperen Sengun had 23 points, Jalen Green added 22 and the Rockets built a big lead early in the second half and sailed to a 110-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Dillon Brooks had 19 points and Cam Whitmore added 18 to help the Rockets get back on track after dropping two straight.
The Mavericks led by four midway through the second quarter before Houston used a 21-8 run to take a 61-52 lead into halftime. Green made eight points in that stretch and Whitmore added two 3-pointers.
In Toronto, Scottie Barnes had 33 points and 13 rebounds and the Raptors snapped an 11-game losing streak by beating the Brooklyn Nets, 130-113.
Immanuel Quickley returned to the lineup for Toronto and contributed 21 points and a season-high 15 assists. He played for just the fourth time this season, returning after missing 22 games because of a torn ligament in his left elbow.
Gradey Dick scored 22 points and Ochai Agbaji added 14 as Toronto won for the first time since a home win over Indiana on Dec. 3.
Earlier, Jordan Poole scored 30 points to continue his strongest stretch in a Washington uniform as the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls, 125-107.
Poole — who joined Washington from Golden State prior to the 2023-24 season — made six 3-pointers and topped 25 points for a fifth straight game, the first such stretch of his career.
