New York Knicks defeat the Denver Nuggets 142-103: A historical beatdown at Mile High

The New York Knicks dominated the Denver Nuggets 142-103. It ties the largest margin by which Denver has ever been defeated at home.

The Nuggets got off to an early lead, with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic both on fire. But New York turned up their pace, with OG Anunoby and the Knicks’ centers leading the way.

The Knicks outworked Denver, taking the lead and never looking back. The Nuggets were on the second night of a back-to-back, and lost Murray before halftime. But New York played excellent basketball regardless.

Let’s review the performances that created this dominant victory.

OG Anunoby exploded in the second quarter, then was even better in the third. Anunoby’s three-level scoring was unstoppable. He was as effective off the bounce as he was catching and shooting.

OG’s offense didn’t come at the expense of his defense. He was as disruptive as ever with excellent ball denial and equally dominant coverage on the ball.

We’re witnessing Karl-Anthony Towns’ best stretch of basketball of the season. He was an absolute force in the paint, too much for Jokic to contain and too big for anyone else.

KAT’s defense is clicking in ways we’ve never seen as Knicks fans. His rotations were crisp, helping to contain everyone except for Denver’s star players.

As soon as Mitchell Robinson entered the game, he dominated as a roll man. Robinson dunked three lobs before the end of the first quarter, scoring nearly a point per minute on the floor.

Mitch kept biting on Jokic’s pump fakes, so it wasn’t his best defensive performance. But the Block Ness Monster kept pace, scoring and making Joker work at both ends of the floor.

Jalen Brunson was ice cold for most of the first three quarters. But once again, the Captain made up for poor shooting with an excellent playmaking performance. He had 12 assists before the fourth quarter, and by that time, he started making shots.

Teams are doing everything to stop Brunson from beating them, but he’s also missing shots he typically makes right now. But by feeding his teammates during this stretch, he’s given us proof that the offense has other reliable weapons.

Believe it or not, Josh Hart got off to a slow start. But he found rhythm with fast break buckets, and everything started to fall from there.

Hart’s playing through a back contusion, but he still set a great pace with effective ball at both ends. He wasn’t quite his best, but Hart played really well.

The Captain wasn’t the only starter to fall short of double-digits. Mikal Bridges only scored nine points, but that’s in spite of shooting well. Bridges was picky about his shots after going 6/17 against Oklahoma City.

Bridges defended well, as usual. His standout moment was a series of stops at the rim during a single sequence.

The Knicks just blew out Denver with Nikola Jokic dropping 38 points while Jalen Brunson had 9. OG Anunoby is playing the best offense of his career, and Karl-Anthony Towns is playing the best defense of his career.

This season has had plenty of questions, but that comes with a new coach and system. Players have lapses in play, injuries, and setbacks. But the highs have included an NBA Cup win and some of the franchise's most dominant victories.

Success will be decided in the postseason. But there are plenty of promising signs so far.

And happy birthday to Josh Hart. I’ll see you next time, Knicks’ fam!