NBA: Led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks top Clippers to end 4-game skid

Karl-Anthony Towns scored nine points during a decisive run spanning the third and fourth quarters Wednesday night, helping the host New York Knicks snap a season-long four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Towns finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while adding seven assists for the Knicks, who avoided their first five-game losing streak since December 2022.

Jalen Brunson led the team with 26 points and seven assists, while OG Anunoby contributed 20 points. Miles McBride scored 16 points, Mikal Bridges added 15, and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 12 points off the bench.

The Knicks tallied 31 assists, bouncing back two nights after registering a season-low 15 assists in a 121-90 loss to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.

For the Clippers, Ivica Zubac (22 points, 11 rebounds) and John Collins (18 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in just their second loss in nine games. Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points, and James Harden added 23 following a one-game absence due to a shoulder injury.

Los Angeles opened the game on a 14-5 run, but the Knicks responded with three one-possession leads before the Clippers closed the first quarter with a 31-27 advantage. The visitors did not trail again until Guerschon Yabusele drained a 3-pointer to put New York up 73-72 with 5:58 remaining in the third.

New York held a series of one-point leads before Clarkson's old-fashioned three-point play with 54 seconds left in the third gave the Knicks an 88-87 advantage and sparked a 30-13 run. Towns scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, and New York extended its lead to double digits at 103-92 with 7:54 left. The Knicks reached their largest lead at 115-100 on Yabusele's 3-pointer with 4:47 remaining. The Clippers cut the deficit to single digits only once in the final minutes.

—Field Level Media/Reuters