NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 32 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and the New York Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 121-116, on Tuesday night, March 24, for their seventh straight victory.

Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby each added 21 points for the Knicks (48-25), who pulled within percentage points of the Boston Celtics (47-24) for second place in the Eastern Conference. Towns also grabbed 14 rebounds.

But it was Brunson who made the difference for the Knicks in a game that was close throughout the second half. He scored 10 straight points for New York midway through the fourth quarter, including back-to-back baskets after the Pelicans had cut it to 109-107 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

Zion Williamson scored 22 points and Jeremiah Fears had 21 for the Pelicans, who have lost two in a row after a three-game winning streak.

The Knicks made 15 of 21 shots (71.4%) in the first quarter, including 7 for 11 (63.6%) from 3-point range, and closed with a 15-0 run to take a 42-28 lead. New Orleans then opened the second with an 18-2 surge to go ahead 48-46 as the Knicks took more than five minutes to make their first basket. New York recovered to go back ahead 66-60 at halftime.

The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records. They will get tested on a four-game road trip that begins Thursday at Charlotte and features stops at NBA champion Oklahoma City and Houston.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and tied a season high with 17 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Phoenix Suns, 125-123.

Jokic made the go-ahead basket, knocking down a 12-foot jumper with 11.5 seconds left. Phoenix's Devin Booker got a good look at a potential winning 3-pointer, but it bounced off the rim.

The Suns trailed 117-109 with 3:19 left, but methodically worked their way back. Booker made a tough jumper in the lane to tie the game at 123 with 30.2 seconds remaining. He had 22 points and eight assists.

Jokic had his NBA-leading 29th triple-double of the season by early in the third quarter. The three-time MVP shot 9 of 16 from the field and delivered several pinpoint passes, including one that went the full length of the court for a layup by Christian Braun.

The Nuggets have fought injuries for most of the season, but are now close to full strength. Jamal Murray had 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 18 off the bench.

Denver had a 10-point lead at halftime, but Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen made back-to-back 3s late in the third to help Phoenix cut the deficit to 97-95 heading into the fourth. Allen and Jalen Green both had 21 points.

The Nuggets have won six of their last eight games and are 1 1/2 games behind the Lakers for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

The sliding Suns have dropped six of seven and face an uphill battle to avoid the play-in tournament. They're currently the No. 7 team in the West.

Jokic — who picked up an early technical foul after heated comments toward referee Dannica Baroody — had 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists before the halftime break.