Anunoby scores career-high 40 points, Knicks dish out 45 assists in a 145-118 blowout of Nuggets

DENVER (AP) — OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points, Jalen Brunson had 17 of New York’s team record-tying 45 assists and the Knicks rode a torrid start to a 145-118 rout of the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.

Brunson had 23 points to go with his career-best assist performance. The Knicks’ 45 assists matched the single-game team record set against Cleveland on Nov. 24, 1979.

New York led by 12 after the first, 23 at halftime and by many as 30 points on a night the team shot a sizzling 60.9% from the floor. The starters for the Knicks played late in the game despite the large lead.

Karl-Anthony Towns was a game-time decision with a sore calf, but came up big with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Reserve Russell Westbrook had 27 points and Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points along with a season-low seven rebounds for Denver.

Takeaways

Knicks: Towns continued to torment the Nuggets, hitting 12 of 15 shots from the field. He was with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season when they eliminated the Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. The Knicks picked him up as part of a blockbuster trade on Oct. 2.

Nuggets: Jokic and the Nuggets dropped to a surprising 5-4 at home this season. The team tied for the second-best home mark last season at 33-8.

Key moment

Brunson had a run in the first quarter where he scored nine straight points for the Knicks. He outscored the Nuggets by a 9-2 margin to break open the game.

Key stat

Anunoby and Brunson were a combined 9 of 12 from 3-point range. The Knicks were 19 of 36 as a team.

Up next

The Knicks play at Dallas on Wednesday night, while the Nuggets begin a two-game trip the same night in Utah.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba