One night after erasing an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat visiting Houston, the New York Knicks will look to keep rolling Sunday as they face the slumping Chicago Bulls to begin a three-game road trip.

New York outscored the Rockets 33-15 in the fourth quarter Saturday to win 108-106 and earn its first victory since the All-Star break. The Bulls, meanwhile, have lost a season-worst eight in a row after falling at home to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit 126-110 on Saturday.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson credited the team’s resilience for sparking a turnaround against Houston two nights after New York’s lopsided home loss to Detroit.

“We have to continue to stay focused and just keep taking it day by day,” said Brunson, who went 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter against the Rockets, including a go-ahead jumper with 29.5 seconds left. “We can’t look ahead. We can’t take this for granted. We have to stay focused. That’s the main thing.”

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 points and seven rebounds, his fourth straight effort of 20-plus points.

“Today was a big day for us to build momentum,” Towns said, “build that confidence. … Finally getting those stops and having that translate to offense really changed the game.”

Ball-control issues plagued the Bulls in their latest defeat. Chicago committed 23 turnovers Saturday, as 10 of the 12 players who appeared for the Bulls had at least one giveaway.

“We’ve got guys, multiple guys, with four or five turnovers,” coach Billy Donovan said. “That just can’t happen.”

Josh Giddey scored a game-high 27 points for the Bulls, while center Guerschon Yabusele led the team with eight assists and nine rebounds.

Donovan said Anfernee Simons, who didn’t return after injuring his left wrist in the first half, will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the issue.

Chicago remains without fellow guard and recent acquisition Jaden Ivey, who will miss at least the next two weeks with an injured left knee.

Acquired from Detroit in a Feb. 3 trade, Ivey wasn’t on the injury report for Thursday’s game against Toronto. The Bulls announced Saturday morning that he would be out for an extended period.

Ivey is nearly 14 months removed from shattering his left fibula on Jan. 1, 2025. He didn’t make his season debut for the Pistons until Nov. 22.

“I don’t think he’s played at the level that he’s capable of playing at or has played at,” Donovan said. “In my opinion, he’s not moving like he once did.”

Chicago previously lost seven in a row from Nov. 24 to Dec. 7.

The Bulls and Knicks have split their last 10 games, with both teams earning home victories this season.

Chicago defeated visiting New York 135-125 on Oct. 31 before the Knicks returned the favor with a 128-116 victory at Madison Square Garden two days later.

Brunson scored 31 points while Towns registered a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Knicks’ victory.

Giddey had a triple-double of 23 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds to go with two steals in that game.

–Field Level Media

The sliding Philadelphia 76ers have their work cut out for them as they endeavor to stop Anthony Edwards and the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Sunday.

It will be the second leg of a back-to-back road set for the Sixers, whose losing streak stretched to four — all by double digits — with a 126-111 defeat against the lowly Pelicans in New Orleans on Saturday.

Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse admits his team, which has been without Joel Embiid (right knee and shin injury) for all four of those losses, is in a difficult space.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s really tough. Certainly our toughest moment of the season, for sure — all year, without question. We’ve got to get back to being able to play the 48 (minutes).”

Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 28.9 points per game, had a game-high 27 in New Orleans. But his haul came on a ragged 9 of 23 from the floor, including 2 of 11 from deep.

Across his past seven games, Maxey has shot 41.4% from the field and 25.4% from 3-point range.

He has cooled off after his blistering start to the season, with opposition sides now throwing extra attention his way.

“Obviously, he’s getting a lot of focus,” Nurse said. “They (opponents) are putting two on the basketball a lot, they’re parking another defender in the lane, so there’s a lot that he’s looking at there. … Earlier in the year, he was getting freer movement than he’s ever had, and we just haven’t been able to find that (since).”

In Minnesota, Edwards bumped his season scoring average to a career-best 29.5 as he continues to add new weapons to his burgeoning repertoire.

Fresh off being crowned All-Star Game MVP, Edwards poured in 40 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Minneapolis on Friday.

It was Minnesota’s third straight win and the 27th 40-plus haul of Edwards’ career.

His performance in the clutch against Dallas stood out.

Subbing in with the score locked at 103 midway through the fourth quarter, Edwards single-handedly outscored the Mavericks 14-8 down the stretch, with a combination of 3-pointers, drives, pullups and turnarounds.

“Ant was awesome,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “He finished the game like he can. I thought his shot selection was really good for the most part — took the right shots. In clutch time, he got to his spots, pretty simply.”

Edwards, who had been accused of settling predictably for 3s in big moments, is mixing it up more now.

He credited Finch’s tough love for him extracting the best form of his career.

“Finchy, I’m not going to lie, he’s the toughest coach I’ve ever had,” Edwards said. “But it works out in my favor because he tells me what I need to work on and what I need to get better at. The past summer, he told me I needed a go-to shot at the end of games. And I was working on that all summer, finding my spots, getting to the spots I’m comfortable in. He’s a big part of my success, honestly.”

Rudy Gobert posted 22 points and 17 rebounds against the Mavericks, but his flagrant foul in the second quarter — his seventh of the season — triggered a one-game suspension, sidelining him for the 76ers clash.

Philadelphia and Minnesota have met 68 times overall, for a 34-all split. The Timberwolves took both encounters last season.

–Field Level Media

The Phoenix Suns’ double-overtime victory over Orlando came at a huge cost.

Suns forward Dillon Brooks suffered a broken left hand, according to an ESPN report, and he is expected to miss an extended period of time after leaving in the first quarter of the 113-110 win over the Magic on Saturday.

“That’s my guy,” said guard Jalen Green, who scored the Suns’ final six points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. “He’s needed out there.”

The Suns will be right back at it Sunday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers, who were blown out 157-103 at home against Denver on Friday.

“One of the worst games of the season,” Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “We were just not ready. Sometimes you get punched in the face. Then you react.”

The Suns know that punching bag feeling.

They lost both Brooks and reserve guard Jordan Goodwin against Orlando, two days after All-Star guard Devin Booker suffered a strained right hip that has caused him to miss Saturday’s game. Booker is to be reevaluated in a week, and Goodman (calf) is to undergo an MRI on Sunday after leaving late in regulation Saturday.

“It’s happened back-to-back games for us,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. No one cares. The only group that can help you when you are stranded is your group. So we just have to find a solution.”

Grayson Allen returned from a four-game absence with a knee injury against the Magic and had 27 points in his return Saturday, while newly healthy Green salvaged a 6-for-26 night with his game-winner. He has played nine games this season.

“That’s my first game-winner,” Green said. “I needed that one, too.”

Brooks was averaging 21.2 points and 3.7 rebounds entering the Orlando game. Booker, who is averaging 24.7 points, has missed nine of 12 games, initially sidelined by sprained right ankle.

“This is what we talk about,” Ott said. “You find any way you can to win and then you move on. In the standings, it doesn’t matter.”

The Trail Blazers will look to regroup after their worst loss of the season, when they tied the mark for the third-most points given up in franchise history.

Portland gave 41, 41 and 43 points in the first three quarters against Denver, which set a franchise record for the most points in a road game.

“I think we’re going to bounce back,” Splitter said. “Go to Phoenix and bounce back like (the Nuggets) did. Come in with a sense of urgency to win and do the right things — effort on defense, talk, communicate.”

Blazers small forward Deni Avdija, having a breakout season, is leading the team in scoring (25.0) and assists (6.8) per game and is second in rebounding (7.2). He had 15 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and six turnovers against Denver.

Second-leading scorer Shaedon Sharpe (21.4 points) has missed the last five games and will be out for a “little bit” with a strained calf, Splitter said.

“Everybody has to look inside yourself,” Splitter said. “How can we be ready in these moments, stay together? We all have to do this together. There is no individual who is going to take us and do it by himself.”

Like the Suns, the Blazers will attack from the perimeter. They are averaging 14.5 3-pointers per game and have made 14 or more threes in the last eight games and nine of 10.

–Field Level Media