DENVER – OG Anunoby scored a career-high 40 points, Jalen Brunson had 17 of the New York team’s record-setting 45 assists and the Knicks got off to a bright start Monday night, defeating the Denver Nuggets 145-118.

Brunson still had 23 points to go, posting the best assist performance of his career. The Knicks’ 45 assists tied the single-game team record set on November 24, 1979 against Cleveland.

New York led by 12 points after the first game, by 23 points at halftime and by as much as 30 points on a night in which the team shot a sizzling 60.9% from the floor. The Knicks’ starters played late in the game despite the large lead.

Karl-Anthony Towns was a game-decider with a sore calf, but came up big with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Reserve Russell Westbrook had 27 points and Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, along with a season-low seven rebounds for Denver.

Takeaways

Knicks: Towns continued to torment the Nuggets, hitting 12 of 15 shots from the field. He was with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season when they eliminated the Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. The Knicks acquired him in a blockbuster trade on October 2nd.

Nuggets: Jokic and the Nuggets surprisingly lost 5-4 at home this season. The team had the second-best home record of 33-8 last season.

Key moment

Brunson went on a first-quarter run where he scored nine straight points for the Knicks. He beat the Nuggets 9-2 to open the game.

Key statistics

Anunoby and Brunson combined to be 9 of 12 from 3-point range. The Knicks were 19 of 36 as a team.

Next

The Knicks play in Dallas on Wednesday night, while the Nuggets begin a two-game trip in Utah the same evening.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba