Game ID: 22500816
Houston Rockets @ New York Knicks
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 8:30 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NYK 27 26 22 33 108HOU 21 33 37 15 106
HOU @ NYK ScoutingHOU @ NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NYK availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 6 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 2/03 after 2, 21 min since (131% of 16)
NEW Kolek 11 to 17 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/10 · 1 day's restOUT Anunoby missed 2 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 7 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 2/03 after 2, 18 min since (109% of 16)
NEW Shamet 21 to 26 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/11 · back-to-backOUT Anunoby missed 3 since 2/06, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 8 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 2/03 after 2, 17 min since (103% of 16)
NEW Shamet 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/19 · 7 days' restOUT Anunoby missed 4 since 2/06, returns tonight: 32 min (95% of 33)
OUT McBride missed 9 since 1/28, out tonight
NEW Shamet 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Alvarado 14 to 21 min over the last 3
NYK availability going into 2/21 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 10 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Anunoby back 2/19 after 4, 32 min since (95% of 33)
NEW Shamet 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Alvarado 14 to 21 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 2/22 · back-to-backOUT McBride missed 11 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Clarkson missed 2 since 2/19, out tonight
OUT Kolek missed 2 since 2/19, out tonight
BACK Anunoby back 2/19 after 4, 36 min since (108% of 33)
NEW Shamet 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Alvarado 14 to 20 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 12 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Clarkson missed 3 since 2/19, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 16)
OUT Kolek missed 3 since 2/19, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 11)
BACK Anunoby back 2/19 after 4, 35 min since (105% of 33)
NEW Shamet 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Alvarado 14 to 20 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT McBride missed 13 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Anunoby back 2/19 after 4, 35 min since (105% of 33)
BACK Clarkson back 2/24 after 3, 1 min since (7% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 2/24 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 11)
NEW Alvarado 14 to 21 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 14 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Anunoby back 2/19 after 4, 34 min since (100% of 33)
BACK Clarkson back 2/24 after 3, 4 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 2/24 after 3, 4 min since (37% of 11)
NEW Alvarado 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's rest
full strength
HOU availability going into 2/10 · 2 days' restNEW Eason 26 to 32 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/11 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
HOU availability going into 2/19 · 7 days' restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
NEW Eason 26 to 31 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/21 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 4 since 2/07, out tonight
NEW Eason 26 to 33 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 2/23 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 2/19, returns tonight: 13 min (74% of 17)
OUT Holiday missed 5 since 2/07, returns tonight: 6 min (44% of 14)
NEW Eason 26 to 33 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 13 min since (74% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 6 min since (44% of 14)
NEW Eason 26 to 33 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/26 · back-to-backBACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 18 min since (106% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 13 min since (98% of 14)
NEW Finney-Smith 16 to 21 min over the last 3
HOU availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 19 min since (110% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 13 min since (98% of 14)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 25 and Towns at 19 a game. Without McBride (10 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Smith Jr. at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 103 a night to New York's 112 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to New York's 12. Call it New York 113, Houston 109, Houston keeping it close.
2/08 @ BOS 111-89 — NYK notes
NYK won 111-89. NYK shot 48% (40 of 83) to BOS's 37%, 14 of 35 from three, and went to the line 24 times to BOS's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 14. Brunson led with 31 (12 of 21, 4 of 8 from three); Hart added 19, Bridges 14. The hinge was Q1, 35-24: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 24. Diawara was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/10 vs IND 134-137 — NYK notes
NYK lost 134-137 in 1 overtime. NYK shot 50% (50 of 100) to IND's 52%, 14 of 46 from three. Brunson led with 40 (15 of 31, 4 of 14 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Bridges added 22, Towns 22. Q2 was theirs, 36-31, but the other 4 periods went 106-98 against them. Diawara's -17 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/11 @ PHI 138-89 — NYK notes
NYK won 138-89. NYK shot 53% (48 of 91) to PHI's 38%, 20 of 44 from three, and went to the line 27 times to PHI's 21 — 22 points from the stripe to their 17. The glass went 51-38 for them. Alvarado led with 26 (8 of 13, 8 of 13 from three); Bridges added 22, Towns 21. The hinge was Q2, 36-19: a lead of 13 became 30, and the lead reached 52. Alvarado was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
2/19 vs DET 111-126 — NYK notes
NYK lost 111-126. NYK shot 47% (41 of 87) to DET's 52%, 8 of 35 from three, and went to the line 28 times to DET's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 17. Brunson led with 33 (12 of 20, 3 of 7 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Towns added 21, Shamet 15. Q3 was theirs, 31-32, but the other 3 periods went 94-80 against them. Robinson's -15 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/21 vs HOU 108-106 — NYK notes
NYK won 108-106. NYK shot 49% (42 of 85) to HOU's 48%, 10 of 26 from three, and got to the line 16 times to HOU's 23. NYK turned it over 11 times to HOU's 19. The glass went 29-44 against them. Towns led with 25 (10 of 15, 3 of 3 from three); Anunoby added 20, Brunson 20. The hinge was Q4, 33-15: NYK came in trailing by 16 and left it ahead by 2. NYK trailed 53-54 at the half and won the second half 55-52. Towns was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/22 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 124, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Buzelis at 15 and Simons at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Collins (26 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 26 and Towns at 20 a game. Without McBride (11 straight), Clarkson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 109 a night to Chicago's 124 and the turnovers, Chicago giving it away 18 times a game to New York's 12. Call it New York 120, Chicago 113.
2/24 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Towns at 23 a game. Without McBride (12 straight), Clarkson (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and New York minus-1. Call it Cleveland 117, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
2/27 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 14 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 22 and Rollins at 22 a game. Without Gia. Antetokounmpo (13 straight), Prince (49 straight), Trent Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 22 and Brunson at 20 a game. Without McBride (13 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where New York takes 23 free throws a game to Milwaukee's 14 and the arc, Milwaukee at 39 percent from three to New York's 34. Call it Milwaukee 114, New York 113, New York keeping it close.
3/01 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Towns at 21 a game. Without McBride (14 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 18 and Castle at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the arc, San Antonio at 41 percent from three to New York's 35. Call it New York 114, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
2/07 @ OKC 112-106 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-106. HOU shot 46% (38 of 83) to OKC's 45%, 15 of 43 from three. Eason led with 26 (10 of 22, 5 of 13 from three); Smith Jr. added 22, Durant 20. The hinge was Q3, 34-22: HOU came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. HOU trailed 46-52 at the half and won the second half 66-54.
2/10 vs LAC 102-95 — HOU notes
HOU won 102-95. HOU shot 46% (36 of 79) to LAC's 41%, 14 of 28 from three. HOU turned it over 16 times to LAC's 11, and LAC turned those into 11 steals. Durant led with 26 (8 of 22, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Sengun added 22, Thompson 16. The hinge was Q3, 27-20: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 15. HOU trailed 51-52 at the half and won the second half 51-43. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
2/11 vs LAC 102-105 — HOU notes
HOU lost 102-105. HOU shot 46% (38 of 82) to LAC's 47%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 18 times to LAC's 26. HOU turned it over 21 times to LAC's 9, and LAC turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 45-32 for them. Durant led with 21 (7 of 15, 3 of 9 from three); Sheppard added 17, Smith Jr. 16. Q1 was theirs, 29-22, but the other 3 periods went 83-73 against them. They led by as many as 15. Smith Jr.'s -8 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/19 @ CHA 105-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 105-101. HOU shot 49% (42 of 85) to CHA's 43%, 9 of 32 from three. HOU turned it over 11 times to CHA's 16. Durant led with 35 (14 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Smith Jr. added 15, Sengun 13. The hinge was Q2, 29-19: HOU came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 1.
2/21 @ NYK 106-108 — HOU notes
HOU lost 106-108. HOU shot 48% (38 of 80) to NYK's 49%, 12 of 31 from three, and went to the line 23 times to NYK's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 14. HOU turned it over 19 times to NYK's 11, and NYK turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 44-29 for them. Durant led with 30 (10 of 26, 4 of 10 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Smith Jr. added 21, Sengun 16. Q3 was theirs, 37-22, but the other 3 periods went 86-69 against them. They led by as many as 18.
2/23 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Smith Jr. at 17 a game. Without Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 22 and Markkanen at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Markkanen (2 straight), George (4 straight), Kessler (52 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 103 a night to Utah's 116 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 19 times a game to Houston's 16. Call it Houston 117, Utah 110.
2/25 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Smith Jr. at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 125, shooting 43 percent and 25 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 16 and Monk at 14 a game. Without LaVine (6 straight), Hunter (6 straight), Cardwell (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 103 a night to Sacramento's 125 and the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to Sacramento's 25. Call it Houston 118, Sacramento 106, Houston by 12.
2/26 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bane at 28 and Banchero at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Fra. Wagner (4 straight), Suggs (3 straight), Bitadze (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Smith Jr. at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Orlando minus-6 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 18 times a game to Orlando's 11. Call it Orlando 112, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
2/28 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Adebayo at 21 and Herro at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Jović (3 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 104, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Smith Jr. at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 104 a night to Miami's 116 and the line, where Miami takes 27 free throws a game to Houston's 17. Call it Miami 116, Houston 114, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
DF D. Finney-Smith
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
KD K. Durant
RS R. Sheppard
TE T. Eason
NYKJA J. Alvarado
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JS J. Sochan
KT K. Towns
LS L. Shamet
MB M. Bridges
MD M. Diawara
MR M. Robinson
OA O. Anunoby
HOU/NYK 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
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
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
Knicks overcome an 18-point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat the Rockets 108-106
NEW YORK -- — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points, Jalen Bruson had 20 and the New York Knicks overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 108-106 on Saturday night.
OG Anunoby added 20 points, and Mikal Bridges had 11 for New York. The Knicks bounced back two nights after a disappointing loss to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points for Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. had 21, Alperen Sengun added 16, and Amen Thompson had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Rockets had won five a row.
The Knicks, who led by 13 points in the first half, began their comeback with an 8-1 run in the opening minutes of the fourth before Smith hit a 3-pointer in front of the Houston bench.
Houston missed eight consecutive shots and turned the ball over two times as the Knicks went on a 14-2 run, capped by Towns’ layup off the glass that cut it to 99-97 with 3:32 left.
Bruson's jumper tied it at 103 with 1:26 left. Durant then lost the ball near the sideline and committed an offensive foul on the following possession as he plowed into Brunson.
Brunson answered with a pullup jumper that gave New York the lead for good. Durant had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but missed a 40-footer.