March 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) is protected by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Knicks, who beat the Nuggets in double overtime four weeks ago, will compete for a season sweep when they visit Denver on Friday night.
Jalen Brunson had 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in New York’s 134-127 win over Denver on Feb. 4.
He’s having a tough shooting night in Wednesday night’s loss to Oklahoma City in the Knicks’ rare late-season home game.
The game in Denver will kick off a five-game road trip to New York and will be part of 10 of 14 games away from home. The Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference with 19 games remaining, one game ahead of Cleveland.
New York strengthened its backcourt at the trade deadline by acquiring Brooklyn native Jose Alvarado from New Orleans. He’s averaged just 7.5 points in 11 games since coming from the Pelicans, but it gives coach Mike Brown another point guard to use when Brunson sits on the bench.
“The energy that is irreplaceable plus the quickness he brings to the table every time we step on the floor,” Brown said of Alvarado on Wednesday. “At least it’s different from the guys we have, or the guys we’ve had. It’s just different.”
Alvarado won’t be able to match Denver’s big man Nikola Jokic. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson will be the three-time MVP’s key defenders. The duo has an advantage over Jokic as the Nuggets are playing for the second night in a row.
Denver won Game 1 with a 120-113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Jokic recorded his 23rd triple-double of the season with the win, but tied his season high with nine turnovers.
Jokic, who is averaging 28.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.4 assists, faces additional defensive pressure with several of his frontcourt teammates missing. Aaron Gordon has not played since Jan. 23 due to a hamstring injury, but could return against the Knicks.
Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones and Cameron Johnson are all expected to sit out Friday night.
Jones, who recently converted his two-way contract to an NBA standard contract, is dealing with a shoulder injury suffered in a game at Oklahoma City on Feb. 27.
Coach David Adelman said, “The rest of my body is fine. I think it’s a comfort level, and I think it will get better every day.” “It could be next week, it could be tomorrow. It’s been that way so far.”
Jamal Murray took on more of the scoring burden with several of his teammates out. He scored 45 points in Monday night’s win over Utah and 20 of his 28 points in the first half against Los Angeles.
Murray suffered a knee to his right thigh in the third quarter and missed all four shots in the fourth, but made two key free throws to seal the win.
–Field level media
