Jalen Brunson had enough.
He had already seen the Knicks throw away two chances to put the game away at the end of regulation and the first overtime.
So he decided to take over.
Brunson scored the Knicks’ first six points of double overtime, then made a pinpoint pass to assist a Landry Shamet layup.
When their lead was cut to three points, he hit a floater to put the Knicks up three.
Like Batman, Brunson beat the Joker in Gotham as the Knicks toppled the Nuggets 134-127 in double overtime Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, extending their win streak to eight.
But really, it was Jamal Murray who was the villain.
Just named an All-Star for the first time in his career, he certainly played like one. He finished with 39 points and repeatedly threatened to end the Knicks’ win streak.
Murray, though, missed his best chance to do it at the end of the first overtime.
He got as open a look as he could ask for, a chance for a game-winner. But his three barely grazed the rim.
A longer rebound, and the Knicks would have won right there and then.
But Mikal Bridges was called for a questionable loose-ball foul on Christian Braun, who was going for the rebound, with 0.3 seconds left.
Braun made both free throws to send the game to double overtime.
Bridges found some payback in double overtime, however, drilling a corner three to give the Knicks a seven-point lead.
Brunson finished with 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, but notably went 1-for-13 from 3-point range.
The Knicks had fallen behind by three in overtime, but Karl-Anthony Towns’ put-back and Shamet’s 3 gave them a two-point lead.
Jokic scored on the other end to tie the game, and Shamet subsequently missed a 3-pointer.
Braun corralled the rebound, but was whistled for tripping OG Anunoby — before it was overturned after a Nuggets challenge.
Mitchell Robinson then locked down Murray, poking the ball away before a shot clock violation. Towns scored in the post as the Knicks regained a two-point lead before the final sequence.
They had been within touching distance of a win at the end of regulation as well.
With the game tied 106-106 with just over a minute left, Brunson torched Christian Braun off the dribble en route to a layup to give the Knicks a two-point lead.
On the other end of the floor, Robinson stood up Jokic and forced a miss to get the ball back.
But the Knicks scuffled on offense with a chance to put away, and Bridges missed a heave as the shot clock expired.
Murray promptly tied the game with a jumper, and Brunson then missed a potential game-winner. After a timeout with 0.6 seconds left, Jokic nearly banked in a 3-pointer, but the miss sent the game to overtime.
Robinson had some success early guarding Jokic, but got into foul trouble — he picked up his third foul with 6:51 left in the second quarter.
Coach Mike Brown later went offense-defense with Robinson and Towns until Towns fouled out at the end of the first overtime.
Murray scored 18 straight Nuggets points in the first quarter. In fact, it wasn’t until 42.6 when any Nuggets player other than Murray or Jokic scored, with Tim Hardaway Jr. getting fouled on a 3-pointer and subsequently making all three free throws.
Towns’ right eye was bloodied after being fouled by Spencer Jones at the end of the first quarter. Their heads collided as Towns drove to the rim.
He stayed in the game and hit both free throws before being subbed out and going back to the locker room, returning with 3:11 left in the second quarter with a bandage above his eye.
He immediately scored the next seven points, then corralled a rebound and threw a long outlet to Anunoby for a breakaway dunk, part of a 9-0 Knicks run.
Bridges didn’t score his first points until 9:57 left in the game.
The Knicks might have had to work a bit harder than any of their previous seven games in this streak.
But, after a few delays, their train remains full steam ahead.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
