Brunson’s 32 and Knicks’ late poise sink Pelicans in 121-116 fight

The Knicks never let New Orleans get comfortable, and when the game tightened in the fourth, Jalen Brunson simply owned it. New York’s 121-116 win is the kind of high-tempo, shot-making battle that never really breathes, with 22 lead changes and both teams trading punches all night before the Knicks' late execution makes the difference.

The first quarter belongs to New York’s energy. The Knicks open with a 15-point run that turns a narrow 27-28 deficit into a 42-28 lead, and the burst is capped when OG Anunoby drills a 25-foot three to finish the run. That sequence matters because it gives the Knicks the early cushion they need in a game where neither side is ever truly out of the picture for long. New York is aggressive, getting into the paint and then punishing the Pelicans when the defense collapses. By the time the first quarter ends, the Knicks have established the pace and the tone.

But New Orleans doesn’t fold. The Pelicans answer in the second quarter with a 12-point run of their own, and the play that flips the momentum comes when Karlo Matković knocks down a 25-foot three to turn a 44-34 deficit into a 44-46 lead. That stretch shows exactly why this game stays so volatile: the Pelicans find spacing, speed up the floor, and make New York defend in rotation. It’s a reminder that every Knicks push gets a response. Still, New York keeps landing enough shots to stay ahead at halftime, 65-60, and the third quarter only sharpens the tension. After three, it’s 93-92 Knicks, which says everything about how evenly matched the middle of the game becomes.

Then the fourth quarter turns into a Brunson clinic. With the score at 109-105, Jeremiah Fears scores, then immediately picks off a steal at 4:31, and the Pelicans are suddenly threatening to swing the game. But New York answers right away. Brunson hits an 11-foot driving floater at 4:02, then scores again on a driving layup at 3:23 to stretch the lead to 113-107. Those are the plays that separate great guards from good ones — not just the points, but the timing. Every time New Orleans threatens to make it a one-possession game, Brunson steadies the possession and gets the Knicks exactly what they need. He finishes with 32 points and 7 assists, and the 58% shooting underlines how controlled his night was in the biggest moments.

The Pelicans still keep coming. Zion Williamson powers in a driving finger roll at 1:41, then cuts for another finger roll at 1:03, trimming the margin and forcing New York to keep making plays down the stretch. New Orleans gets a late Trey Murphy III driving layup with 15.6 seconds left to make it 119-116, and suddenly the building feels the pressure again. But the Knicks do enough work before that to stay in front, and their early punch combined with Brunson’s late control proves decisive. OG Anunoby adds 21 points, including five threes, Karl-Anthony Towns delivers 21 and 14 rebounds in just 24 minutes, and New York’s balance across the roster gives Brunson the support he needs.

For New Orleans, there’s plenty to build on despite the loss. Zion finishes with 22 points, Fears gives them 21 in only 20 minutes, and Dejounte Murray’s 12 assists show how often the Pelicans were able to create clean looks. But the Knicks’ combination of early separation, perimeter shot-making, and Brunson’s closing shot-making is the difference. For New York, this is the kind of win that matters in the playoff race: not a blowout, not a perfect night, just a tough, efficient victory over a team that kept forcing them to answer. It’s the sort of result that can travel well when the games get tighter in April.