Knicks get back on track with biggest win in their history, beating Brooklyn by 54 points

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks hadn't won at all in more than a week. They had never won like this in 80 years.

The Knicks ended their four-game losing streak Wednesday night with the most lopsided victory in franchise history, beating the Brooklyn Nets 120-66.

Jalen Brunson and the starters were already done for the night after three quarters, with the Knicks ahead 88-56. But instead of coasting to the finish, the reserves poured it on, outscoring the Nets 16-0 to open the fourth as the lead ballooned to 104-56.

“We’ve been in the midst of a pretty rough stretch and it’s not about just one game right now. There’s got to be a continual pursuit for us getting better and growing,” swingman Landry Shamet said. “So, fourth-quarter blowout, cool, whatever. It’s an opportunity against a talented NBA team to build and grow on some of the things that we’re trying to grow on and get better at. So kudos to our guys continuing to carry the standard and finish out the right way.”

Brunson scored 20 points and Shamet had 18 in just 15 minutes, going 6 for 6 from 3-point range. The Knicks shot 57.5% from the field and led by as much as 59 points.

The Knicks had lost nine of their previous 11 games and were just two days removed from the low point of their season. They trailed by 30 points in the first half Monday at home against Dallas, booed repeatedly in their 114-97 loss.

The 54-point victory surpassed three 48-point wins that had stood as the previous franchise record. Karl-Anthony Towns, a target of some of the boos Monday, was asked what the Knicks needed Wednesday.

“A win. That was the most important thing, just finding a way to break the ice and get one in the left column,” Towns said. “So good game, good day for us to show what we’re capable of, but consistency is what makes champions and we’ve got to find that consistency and bring this kind of intensity and energy and execution every single night.”

They certainly do it against the Nets. They have won the last 13 meetings in a three-year winning streak and have handed Brooklyn its two worst losses of this season. The Knicks won 134-98 on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden.

“Tonight was even worse and I’m the one responsible for it,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said.

The Knicks limited the Nets to 29% shooting, outscored them 12-0 in second-chance points and 29-4 on the fast break.

But New York is a team built to compete for a championship and the Nets are headed for the lottery. The Knicks know a more realistic test comes Saturday when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers, who won both matchups this season in New York.

“This was a good step for us," Brunson said, "but we've got to continue to press the issue of getting better every single day.”

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New York Knicks' OG Anunoby, left, shoots over Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson, right, drives past Brooklyn Nets' Nolan Traore, center, as Cam Thomas, left, watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Mitchell Robinson (23) dunks the ball in front of Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. (17) and Noah Clowney (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Knicks' Landry Shamet smiles after making a three-point shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Landslides hit a campground and a house in New Zealand and emergency crews were trying to rescue people buried in rubble, officials said Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the slide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island after 9:30 a.m. The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano.

Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures" but didn't say further how many were affected.

Another landslide hit a house overnight in the nearby Bay of Plenty community. Two people escaped the house but two others were missing, Anderson said. A rescue operation was underway there Thursday.

Further north near Warkworth, a man remained missing after floodwaters swept him from a road Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed large swathes of the North Island, a police statement said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to heed local authorities' safety advice during the extreme conditions.

“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” Luxon posted on social media.

At Mount Maunganui, no survivor had been recovered three hours after the slide, Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Pike said.

“Members of the public ... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Pike told reporters. “Our initial fire crew arrived and … were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip."

No sign of life had been detected since, Pike said.

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said emergency crews were continuing a rescue operation at Mount Maunganui.

Mayor Mahe Drysdale said those unaccounted earlier had included people who had left the campground without notifying authorities. The campground was closed after the disaster.

Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he was lazing in hot pools within the campground when he heard then saw the landslide.

“I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,” Worrall told New Zealand 1News news service. “I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run.”

He looked back to see the rubble carrying a travel trailer behind him.

“It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Worrall said.

In this image from a video, a police officer with dog searches people near the site of a landlide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (TVNZ via AP)

In this image from a video, rescuers and fire crews work near the site of a landlide at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (TVNZ via AP)