DENVER (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 34 points to power the New York Knicks to a 142-103 win over the Denver Nuggets, who lost All-Star point guard Jamal Murray to a sprained ankle Friday night just when their starting lineup was back together.
Josh Hart added 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 17 rebounds as the Knicks kicked off a five-game trip in resounding fashion, their starters taking the fourth quarter off to enjoy the rare rout.
The 39-point home loss tied the Nuggets’ record set against Chicago in 1998.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 38 points but the Nuggets suffered their biggest loss of the season — both on the scoreboard and on the court with Murray’s injury.
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) played for the first time since Jan. 23 and Cam Johnson returned from a sprained ankle, giving the Nuggets their original starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 12.
It was short-lived.
Although Gordon quickly gave the crowd something to cheer about when he followed his errant 3-pointer with a rim-rattling dunk as part of Denver’s 13-4 start, the Nuggets would miss 17 consecutive 3-pointers before Jokic hit one with his team trailing 92-70 on its way to a 105-80 deficit after three quarters.
And that was Gordon’s only basket as he went 1 for 7 in 21 minutes.
And the Nuggets lost their All-Star point guard before halftime.
Murray, who had 45- and 28-point performances earlier this week, had 12 points when he got hurt with 1:05 left in the first half. He took the contact from a driving Anunoby and stepped back on Jokic’s right foot. Murray tumbled to the floor in pain, grabbing his left ankle. He was helped to the locker room by teammate Jonas Valanciunas, and didn’t return.
During the stoppage, Knicks coach Mike Brown challenged the call on the court of an Anunoby charge. The challenge was successful, so Murray was assessed the blocking foul and Anunoby sank both free throws, giving the Knicks a 65-42 halftime lead.
Murray was an All-Star this season for the first time in his nine-year career.
Up next
Knicks: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Nuggets: At Oklahoma City on Monday night.
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