New York Knicks @ New Orleans Pelicans
Monday, December 29, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA | Game ID: 22500454
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 41 34 28 22 125NYK 37 35 24 34 130
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Brunson's double-double helps the Knicks outlast Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, 130-125
NEW ORLEANS -- — Jalen Brunson capped a 28-point, 10-assist performance with a driving floater and a layup in the final 1:06, and the New York Knicks surged in front late to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 130-125 on Monday night.
OG Anunoby had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Mohamed Diawara scored a career-high 18 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who've won three straight.
Zion Williamson scored a season-high 32 points for the Pelicans, who lost their fourth straight. Saddiq Bey and Jordan Poole each scored 26 for New Orleans and Trey Murphy III added 21 points.
Neither team led by more than 10 in a game characterized by a lot of scoring in the first half before defensive play intensified in the second.
The Pelicans led 75-72 at halftime, when both teams were shooting 50% or better. With 3:36 left in the game, the score was tied at 117 after Poole and Brunson had exchanged 3s.
Brunson rebounded his own missed 3 and hit a running floater just inside the baseline to give New York a 124-121 lead with 1:06 to go.
After Williamson's free throws, Brunson responded with a driving layup and Deuce McBride, who had 14 points, hit four free throws in the final 16 seconds to ensure the Knicks held on.
Diawara, who'd never previously scored more than five points in a game, had 13 by the end of the first quarter of what was just the Frenchman's third career start.
Bey scored 23 points in the first quarter.
Pelicans guard and native New Yorker Jose Alvarado was unavailable to play because of a two-game suspension stemming from his fight on Saturday night with Phoenix's Mark Williams .
Up next Knicks: Visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Pelicans: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKAH A. Hukporti
GY G. Yabusele
JB J. Brunson
JC J. Clarkson
KM K. McCullar Jr.
KT K. Towns
MB M. Bridges
MD M. Diawara
MM M. McBride
OA O. Anunoby
TJ T. Jemison III
TK T. Kolek
NOPDQ D. Queen
JF J. Fears
JH J. Hawkins
JP J. Poole
KL K. Looney
MP M. Peavy
SB S. Bey
TM T. Murphy III
YM Y. Missi
ZW Z. Williamson
NYK/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur