Knicks Pound Pelicans For Big, Easy Win

A Mikal Bridges breakout allowed the New York Knicks to handle business against the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans.

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to drive past New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Taken to the brink by a shorthanded Charlotte Hornets group on Friday, the New York Knicks took no chances with a similarly-strung group in Sunday's return to Madison Square Garden.

Mikal Bridges and the Knicks started December on a high note, crushing the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans by a 118-85 final in the opener of a four-game homestand. The Knicks (12-8) sewed together consecutive wins for the first time since a four-game streak from Nov. 15-20.

Anyone worried about the Knicks losing June's rare deal with the Brooklyn Nets saw their concerns soothed on Sunday: fresh off a troubling performance on Friday in Charlotte, Bridges got the good times rolling in the early going, scoring 13 points by hitting five of his first seven tries in the opening period.

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives the ball past New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Bridges ended up earning 31 points and seven triples, his best as a Knick and best overall respectively. The Knicks were up 40 on the scoreboard over his 36 minutes, the best on the team on a nearly-endless list of sterling plusses.

Though clearly the most important breakout, Bridges wasn't the only New Yorker who ended the weekend with a packed statsheet: a scorer of 14 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 rebounds before the first half let out and was stopped at his season-best-tying 19 by rare mercy from head coach Tom Thibodeau, who emptied his bench early by his standards. Jalen Brunson was one assist short of a double-double with 16 points, as he and reserve Miles McBride each earned a trio of triples.

With the Pelicans' expansive injury list headlined by Zion Williamson, the Knicks took full advantage of their opponent's depleted state: a double-figure lead stood for nearly 41 minutes of game time and the Pelicans' deficit didn't dip below 20 after McBride hit a three-pointer in the penultimate minute of the first. New York sank 20 three-pointers on the night, reaching a double-decade in triples for the third time this year.

New York's lead summitted at 41, as they went up 33-10 after the first period and 57-28 at halftime. The 28 allowed in the first half were the fewest any team has surrendered in this young season.

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) brings the ball up court in the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The struggles of the fallen Pelicans (4-17) were on display in their purest form on Sunday, as New Orleans dropped its eighth in a row, as well as its 10th road game in 11 tries. In contrast to the Knicks' mastery from deep, New Orleans hit only four on 27 Sunday tries and shot just over 37 percent overall. Even the foul line proved tricky, as the Pelican hit only 11-of-17 attempts.

CJ McCollum (13) led a sickly scoring effort for the Pelicans, who put up the fewest points by any Knicks opponents this season. Former Knick Elfrid Payton had seven assists in his first game on MSG hardwood since he was removed from the team's postseason lineup in 2021.

The Knicks will hit up the Big Easy later this month for a rematch on Dec. 21. In the meantime, New York will remain stationed at MSG for its NBA Cup group play finale against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Knicks Hold Moment of Silence For Lou Carnesecca
• Knicks Washout Set For Triumphant Return
• Achiuwa Talks Looming Return
• Lou Carnesecca Dies at 99
• Liberty Year In Review: Ivana Dojkic