Towns, Knicks beat Wizards 122-103 to snap two-game losing streak

NEW YORK -- — Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Mikal Bridges scored 27 points and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 122-103 on Saturday night.

OG Anunoby had 23 points and Cam Payne chipped in 13 for the Knicks, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Jordan Poole scored 25 points and Marcus Smart added 17 off the bench for the Wizards, who have lost four straight games.

The Knicks were ahead 82-51 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter and cruising to an easy victor before Washington, which has the worst record in the NBA, mounted a wild comeback that fell short.

The Wizards outscored New York 25-10 over the final six minutes of the period and trailed 92-76 heading into the fourth quarter.

Washington then rattled off 12 consecutive points, capped by Smart’s 3-pointer that made it 92-88 with 9:14 left in regulation

But the Knicks regained control of the game with a 9-0 run of their own to extend the lead 101-88 with 7:15 left in regulation to put the game out of reach.

Takeaways

Wizards: Washington was just 1 for 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter before finishing 11 for 36 for the game.

Knicks: Payne scored 10 points in the first quarter starting in place of Deuce McBride, who has a bruised left groin. McBride has been starting with Jalen Brunson sidelined by a sprained right ankle.

Key moment

Payne's only basket after the first quarter was a 3-pointer with 8:55 to play after Smart's 3 that had made it a four-point game. That triggered a 30-15 run to end the game.

Key stat

Seldom-used rookie Tyler Kolek had a career-high eight assists, including seven in the first half.

Up next

New York continues its three-game homestand Tuesday against Dallas. Washington hosts Toronto on Monday.

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This story has been updated to show that Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points. A previous version stated that he had 29.

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