United States-. Dominican center
Karl-Anthony Towns led the offense for the
New York Knicks with
22 points, guiding his team to a 116-94 victory over the
Toronto Raptors before 19,812 fans at Madison Square Garden. Towns was flanked by
Josh Hart, who signed a solid double-double of
20 points and 12 rebounds.
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Toronto scored the first basket of the game, but it was the only time they led. The Knicks responded with a 14-point run and dominated the game from start to finish.
“
We were very disciplined tonight,” Hart said after the game. “I do what the team needs; my role changes every night.” The 30-year-old forward continues in great form, accumulating
48 rebounds and 28 assists in his last four games.
Jalen Brunson, pointed out by coach Mike Brown as an MVP candidate, contributed
18 points, although he had a discreet night in effectiveness with 32% accuracy (6/19).
Despite the defeat, the Raptors show a significant evolution compared to last season, recording 14 wins and 6 losses in their first 20 games, far superior to the 5-15 start they had in 2024.
Thunder reach 12 straight wins
In other results, the
Oklahoma City Thunder consolidated their position as the best team in the NBA by reaching
20-1 in their first 21 games, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers with an outstanding performance by
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with
26 points, including 10 from the free throw line.
“**We wanted to play with determination**,” declared Jalen Williams. “That generates errors in the opponent and raises our defensive intensity.”
The current champions match the best start to the league since the
2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who started with 20 consecutive wins.
By Portland, the Israeli
Deni Avdija shined with a
triple-double of 31 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists.
Climbing historical positions
In Houston, the
Rockets achieved their third consecutive victory after defeating the Utah Jazz 129-101, powered by
25 points and 7 rebounds from Kevin Durant.
The 37-year-old veteran surpassed Hall of Famer
Alex English, reaching
10,660 baskets made, which puts him in
11th place historically in the NBA for field goals scored.
Coach Ime Udoka highlighted the team’s defensive execution: “We focused on their key players and that made the difference.”
Houston widely dominated the match, managed to get a lead of
37 points, won the rebound battle
50-33 and scored for a
53% field.
