Jalen Brunson scores season-high 55 points in Knicks' 136-132 overtime win vs Wizards

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored nine of his season-high 55 points in overtime and Karl-Anthony Towns had 30 points and 14 rebounds as the New York Knicks extended their season-long winning streak to seven games in a 136-132 win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night.

It was the first overtime game for both teams, and New York outscored Washington 17-13 in the extra period.

Brunson, who scored 42 points after halftime, had two jump shots and hit five free throws in overtime.

Justin Champagnie scored a career-high 31 points with 10 rebounds and Malcolm Brogdon added 22 as the Wizards failed to win their second straight game after beating the Hornets 113-110 on Thursday.

Playing without leading scorer Jordan Poole, who was out with a bruised left hip, Washington led for most of the game but committed 17 turnovers, which resulted in 26 New York points.

Knicks: Brunson had a superb performance in the second half and especially in overtime. He hit 16 of his 17 free throws and had nine assists.

Wizards: The Wizards are playing the best ball in a difficult season. Despite their loss, they were competitive against one of the NBA’s better teams.

Brunson converted a three-point play with 57 seconds left and made a floater with 11.1 seconds left to tie the game at 119 and force overtime.

The Wizards shot 44.7% from 3 compared to the Knicks' 25% shooting from deep, but Washington wasn't able to stop Brunson in the second half.

The Knicks are at the Wizards again on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) has his shot blocked by Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) dunks the ball as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns trails during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) passes the ball as Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Washington Wizards guard Carlton Carrington (8) shoots the ball as New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe reacts to a foul called against his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) competes for the ball against Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie, back left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) shoots the ball over New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson handles the ball against Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) dunks the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, center right, looks to shoot a jump shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) goes to the basket for a dunk over Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride, front left, attempts a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson gestures after making a three-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Over two dozen families from one of the few remaining Palestinian Bedouin villages in the central West Bank have packed up and fled their homes in recent days, saying harassment by Jewish settlers living in unauthorized outposts nearby has grown unbearable.

The village, Ras Ein el-Auja, was originally home to some 700 people from more than 100 families that have lived there for decades.

Twenty-six families already left on Thursday, scattering across the territory in search of safer ground, say rights groups. Several other families were packing up and leaving on Sunday.

“We have been suffering greatly from the settlers. Every day, they come on foot, or on tractors, or on horseback with their sheep into our homes. They enter people’s homes daily,” said Nayef Zayed, a resident, as neighbors took down sheep pens and tin structures.

Israel's military and the local settler governing body in the area did not respond to requests for comment.

Other residents pledged to stay put for the time being. That makes them some of the last Palestinians left in the area, said Sarit Michaeli, international director at B’Tselem, an Israeli rights group helping the residents.

She said that mounting settler violence has already emptied neighboring Palestinian hamlets in the dusty corridor of land stretching from Ramallah in the West to Jericho, along the Jordanian border, in the east.

The area is part of the 60% of the West Bank that has remained under full Israeli control under interim peace accords signed in the 1990s. Since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023, over 2,000 Palestinians — at least 44 entire communities — have been expelled by settler violence in the area, B'Tselem says.

The turning point for the village came in December, when settlers put up an outpost about 50 meters (yards) from Palestinian homes on the northwestern flank of the village, said Michaeli and Sam Stein, an activist who has been living in the village for a month.

Settlers strolled easily through the village at night. Sheep and laundry went missing. International activists had to begin escorting children to school to keep them safe.

“The settlers attack us day and night, they have displaced us, they harass us in every way” said Eyad Isaac, another resident. “They intimidate the children and women.”

Michaeli said she’s witnessed settlers walk around the village at night, going into homes to film women and children and tampering with the village’s electricity.

The residents said they call the police frequently to ask for help — but it seldom arrives. Settlement expansion has been promoted by successive Israeli governments over nearly six decades. But Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, which has placed settler leaders in senior positions, has made it a top priority.

That growth has been accompanied by a spike in settler violence, much of it carried out by residents of unauthorized outposts. These outposts often begin with small farms or shepherding that are used to seize land, say Palestinians and anti-settlement activists. United Nations officials warn the trend is changing the map of the West Bank, entrenching Israeli presence in the area.

Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Their presence is viewed by most of the international community as illegal and a major obstacle to peace. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future state.

For now, displaced families of the village have dispersed between other villages near the city of Jericho and near Hebron further south, said residents. Some sold their sheep and are trying to move into the cities.

Others are just dismantling their structures without knowing where to go.

"Where will we go? There’s nowhere. We’re scattered,” said Zayed, the resident, “People’s situation is bad. Very bad.”

An Israeli settler herds his flock near his outpost beside the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja in the West Bank, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A Palestinian resident of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank burns trash, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian children play in the West Bank village of Ras Ein al-Auja, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)