Kristian Winfield

Brunson scored six points in the first quarter and four more in the second before exploding for 29 in the second half. He scored 16 points and hit four 3s in the third quarter alone.

It's the blueprint opponents have come up with in an effort to slow down the star Knicks guard whose singular scoring powered a battered Knicks roster to the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed and 50 wins last season.

Sharpshooting guard Landry Shamet is back in action after fully recovering from a dislocated shoulder sustained during the preseason.

The Knicks picked up their 14th win in the last 18 games with a dominant wire-to-wire 139-125 victory over the Toronto

Eighty-four seconds of game time and one shot were all Shamet needed to feel whole again.

All the Knicks wanted for Christmas was a five-game winning streak. At Madison Square Garden, Santa Claus wore No. 25.

The Knicks have won 15 of their last 19 games. But it's fair to call a spade a spade: many of those wins have come against teams they were expected to beat.

NEW YORK — All the Knicks wanted for Christmas was a five-game winning streak. At Madison Square Garden, and Santa Claus wore No. 25.

Mikal Bridges delivered his finest performance as a Knick, exploding for 41 points on 17-of-25 shooting to propel New York to a thrilling 117-114 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

It's the season of giving, and the Knicks embraced it in full. While the Knicks' Christmas Day matchup against the San Antonio Spurs may