NBA: Jalen Brunson leads scorching Knicks past Celtics

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points and added eight assists to lead the New York Knicks to a 111-89 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The win ended Boston’s five-game winning streak and moved New York into a second-place tie with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, with both teams five games behind Detroit.

Josh Hart contributed 19 points, while Jose Alvarado added 12 points in his Knicks debut after being acquired from New Orleans on Thursday. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as New York won for the ninth time in 10 games.

Boston struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 7 of 41 (17.1%), and scored a season-low 89 points. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points, Derrick White had 19, and Baylor Scheierman added 10 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.

The Knicks, missing OG Anunoby for the second straight game due to toe soreness, jumped to a 35-24 lead after the first quarter, with Brunson scoring 15 points. New York extended its lead to 17 points in the second quarter but led 60-53 at halftime after shooting 60% from the field.

In the third quarter, the Knicks closed with a 7-0 run to take an 85-68 lead, while Boston went 0 for 10 from three-point range. New York led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

The Knicks have now won two of three meetings against the Celtics this season.

—Field Level Media/Reuters