Towns scores 40 in a second straight game and Brunson's jumper in OT makes sure it comes in a win

NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had scored 40 points in consecutive games for the first time in his career and was worried he might have thrown away the chance for it to come in a victory.

His turnover on an inbounds pass under the basket had contributed to the Knicks blowing a six-point lead with 10 seconds left in regulation, and suddenly they were headed to overtime against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

“I would have needed a therapist if that had ended up in an ‘L,’ I’m not going to lie to you,” Towns said.

It didn't, with Jalen Brunson hitting the go-ahead jumper with 11.1 seconds left as the Knicks pulled out a 149-148 victory. New York improved to 36-18, its most wins before the All-Star break since 1972-73, its last championship season.

Now the biggest worry for Towns might be having to stop playing when he's really rolling.

He heads to San Francisco as an All-Star starter after scoring 40 points Tuesday in a victory at Indiana, followed by 44 more along with 10 rebounds Wednesday. He made seven 3-pointers, the most in his first season in New York.

Playing that like, who wants to stop now?

“I’m just happy we got ourselves going into the break with momentum,” Towns said. “But it is true, it’s the worst time, right, to have something working right now.”

Towns had struggled a bit recently after injuring the thumb on his shooting hand, but seems back on track. The consecutive nights with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds gave him five this season, second-most by a Knicks player behind only Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing's eight in 1989-90.

Towns joined Ewing, along with Bernard King, Carmelo Anthony and Brunson, who did it at the end of last season, as Knicks with at least 40 points in consecutive games.

Brunson scored 36 on Wednesday and it appeared early on like he would be the player who would carry the Knicks after scoring 16 on 6-of-7 shooting in the first quarter. But then Towns took over the load from there, scoring 15 of the Knicks' first 17 points in the second quarter, then scoring 15 more in the third.

Brunson, also an All-Star starter, then had six of the Knicks' 12 in overtime. But he said there was no plan to keep feeding Towns when he was hot and go then back to himself later.

“There’s no set time of whose turn it is or what. I mean, we don’t really play like that,” Brunson said. “I just think that we were reading, we’re playing and reacting, and just whatever it takes to win.”

Towns joked that he wanted to get in the scoring fun after Anthony Edwards, his former teammate in Minnesota, scored in 40 in three consecutive games.

“But no,” he said, “I’m just happy that those kind of nights resulted in wins.”

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

Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) defends against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, left, defends against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) battle for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after making a three-point basket in front of Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns flexes after making a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Enzo Maresca left his post as Chelsea head coach on Thursday after a reported deterioration in his relationship with the Premier League club’s hierarchy.

The Italian coach was midway through his second season in charge. In his first season, he won the Conference League and Club World Cup.

Last month, Maresca said he had experienced his “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea and expressed his unhappiness at a lack of support at the club, but didn’t go into specific reasons.

Chelsea is in fifth place in the Premier League, but has won just one of its last seven league matches, and has advanced to the English League Cup semifinals, where it will play Arsenal over two legs.

“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football," Chelsea said in a statement, "Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”

Chelsea is coming off a 2-2 home draw against Bournemouth in the league on Tuesday, and next plays second-place Manchester City away on Sunday.

The club said Chelsea's achievements under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.”

There was no immediate word on his potential successor, with Chelsea seeking a fifth full-time manager since the takeover of the club by American investors, fronted by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.

In the past 3 1/2 years, Chelsea has spent hundreds of million of pounds (dollars) in what looked from the outside a chaotic bid to sign players to refresh its squad. It now has one of the youngest and most talented squads in the Premier League, with star players including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao, but managers have struggled to get the players to gel as a team after so many changes.

Out of all the managers to have led Chelsea in that period — and they include Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the current coaches of England and the United States, respectively — Maresca appeared to have handled the chaos the best.

Yet he reportedly didn't feel appreciated given the tough working conditions and, according to the BBC, recently switched agents. A few weeks ago, media reports in England linked Maresca with a possible move to Man City — where he briefly worked under Pep Guardiola — should Guardiola eventually leave, though Maresca played the reports down.

Chelsea's results have taken a downturn in recent weeks, since a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November.

The team's only league win in the past month was a 2-0 over Everton. There have been draws with Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and losses to Leeds and Aston Villa.

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

FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Chelsea, in Bergamo, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca sits on a bench ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca, left, gives instructions to Estevao during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Bournemouth in London, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)