Jalen Brunson scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and the New York Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 on Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby each added 21 points for the Knicks (48-25), who pulled within percentage points of the Boston Celtics (47-24) for second place in the Eastern Conference. Towns also grabbed 14 rebounds.

But it was Brunson who made the difference for the Knicks in a game that was close throughout the second half. He scored 10 straight points for New York midway through the fourth quarter, including back-to-back baskets after the Pelicans had cut it to 109-107 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

Zion Williamson scored 22 points and Jeremiah Fears had 21 for the Pelicans, who have lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak.

The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records. They will get tested on a four-game road trip that begins Thursday at Charlotte and features stops at NBA champion Oklahoma City and Houston.

pic.twitter.com/JJjBNzLjeE

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 25, 2026

Mitchell powers Cavs past Magic

Donovan Mitchell scored 42 points, James Harden added 26 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the struggling Orlando Magic 136-131 to extend their winning streak to four games.

This was Mitchell’s sixth game with at least 40 points this season, tied for fourth-most in the league.

The All-Star guard also continued his mastery of the Magic. It was his third 40-point game in 23 regular-season meetings against Orlando. He is averaging 27.2 against the Magic, the sixth-highest scoring average of any player in NBA history against Orlando.

Harden, who was scoreless in the first half of Saturday’s game at New Orleans, had 22 points and three 3-pointers in the first half as the Cavaliers had a 72-68 lead at halftime. It was his most points in the first two quarters since being acquired by the Cavaliers.

Evan Mobley had 19 points for Cleveland, making all eight of his shots from the field, along with nine rebounds and six assists.

Paolo Banchero had 36 points for Orlando (38-34), which has dropped six straight and dropped into a three-way tie with Charlotte and Miami for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Another game where our backcourt is on FIRE.@adidasHoops /// #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/4sdsxgpayA

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 25, 2026

Jokic has triple-double, late winner

Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and tied a season high with 17 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Phoenix Suns 125-123.

Jokic made the go-ahead basket, knocking down a 12-foot jumper with 11.5 seconds left. Phoenix's Devin Booker got a good look at a potential winning 3-pointer, but it bounced off the rim.

The Suns trailed 117-109 with 3:19 left, but methodically worked their way back. Booker made a tough jumper in the lane to tie the game at 123 with 30.2 seconds remaining. He had 22 points and eight assists.

Jokic had his NBA-leading 29th triple-double of the season by early in the third quarter. The three-time MVP shot 9 of 16 from the field and delivered several pinpoint passes, including one that went the full length of the court for a layup by Christian Braun.

NIKOLA JOKIĆ STRIKES AGAIN pic.twitter.com/TohKxXKkgJ

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 25, 2026