NEW ORLEANS — A little disappointment might have been inevitable after such an emotional win in Minnesota two nights earlier.

The Knicks are playing well, but not above average. That’s why they started slowly on Sunday against an overwhelmed opponent. They trailed most of the game. Their offense was disjointed. It wasn’t pretty.

But the Knicks also have Jalen Brunson, who put on his cape at the Smoothie King Center and dropped a season-high 39 points, pushing the Knicks to recover with plenty of time on their hands and earn a 104-93 victory over the Pelicans.

It was the third straight win for the Knicks (18-10) and required a comeback from trailing by as many as 14. They got very little from Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored just 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting and was able to overcome early foul problems.

But the Knicks continued to fight back, looking for new ways to crack New Orleans’ stout defense.

Finally, with 2:08 left in the third quarter, Brunson’s trey gave them the lead and ended 25 consecutive minutes of play in which the Knicks were either tied or trailing.

After this barrier was removed, the dam burst.

The Knicks never trailed again. The Pelicans (5-24) didn’t fully let go of the rope, but the hold felt precarious after their lead disappeared.

Brunson played 40 minutes and shot 13 of 19 overall and 7 of 10 shots from distance. On a night Towns disappeared, Brunson carried the torch.

Brunson was also involved in a strange play in the second quarter, perhaps the first time in NBA history that a towel boy played such a significant role in a technical foul. A ball had just popped out near the Knicks’ basket and it wasn’t clear who last touched it.

The referee gave the ball to the Knicks, but as the Pelicans considered whether to appeal the decision, a towel boy entered the field and began mopping the floor.

There was no break in play and the towel boy positioned himself directly in front of Brunson as he attempted to inbound the ball.

---

---

Replays showed the towel boy may have been pushed onto the field by players on the Pelicans’ bench, including one who gave him a small shove in the back.

The official tipped off the towel boy — or the Pelicans, it was unclear — and Brunson converted the foul shot to cut the deficit to four with 4:19 left in the half.

The Pelicans are an injury-plagued team with the worst record in the Western Conference. Their top players Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram remain out indefinitely.

Williamson sat on the bench Sunday in street clothes, a familiar sight. Their arena was half empty and full of Knicks fans.

So the expectation was a victory for the visitors, who warned against taking the struggling Pelicans lightly.

“I think the biggest thing you learn is that there are good players on every team. And if you come in with the mentality that this team is struggling or this team isn’t healthy, or maybe you don’t know a few names. … If you come in with that mentality, it’s going to be a tough game and a game you could very well lose,” Josh Hart said. “So you can’t look at her file. They have talented pieces who can play offense and defense. You have a good coach. So you have to start with that mentality.”

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau added that there wasn’t much to learn from their last head-to-head matchup, when the Knicks beat the Pelicans by 33 points at the Garden on Dec. 1.

“Not much. Because they’ve been hit hard by injuries and that’s why they’re bringing some players back and that affects every team,” Thibodeau said. “So they look at where you are and who they have available. And every game is different. … The challenge in this league is that you have to be ready every night because any team can beat you. You can’t be here without being a great player.”

Still, the start suggested the Knicks may have underestimated New Orleans. Then Brunson took control.