Porzingis drives Knicks to gritty win over Celtics

NEW YORK -- Rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis poured in 26 points to lead the New York Knicks to a gritty 120-114 win over the Boston Celtics Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks (20-20) won for the fifth time in their last seven games despite the loss of Carmelo Anthony, their leading scorer, who left the game with a sprained right ankle after a collision late in the first half with a referee.

The veteran small forward was having a good offensive night, finishing with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists in almost 18 minutes.

Shooting guard Arron Afflalo contributed 24 points and back-up point guard Jerian Grant added 16 points for the Knicks.



Boston (19-19) was led by guard Isaiah Thomas' 34 points. He was 11 of 12 from the line.

A free throw from forward Jae Crowder gave Boston a 107-106 edge with 2:44 to play before the Knicks outscored the Celtics 14-7 the rest of the way.

A traditional three-point play from Boston forward Jared Sullinger cut the Knicks lead to 99-97 with 5:11 remaining, but the Knicks reeled off seven straight points to push their lead to 106-97 with 3:38 left.

A short jumper from Sullinger drew the Celtics even at 88-88 with 9:45 to play. Boston had trailed by as many as eight points early in the third quarter.

The Celtics took advantage of Anthony's absence, outscoring the Knicks 32-26 in the third, to pull within 85-81 heading into the final quarter.

Anthony tumbled to the floor after stepping on an official's foot running up court late in the second quarter. He left the game with 1:16 left in the half and the Knicks leading 57-45.

Anthony returned for the second half with his right ankle taped, but returned to the locker room after just 20 seconds when he wasn't able to make a quick cut.

Porzingis and Anthony combined for 28 points in the first quarter, helping the Knicks to a 37-26 lead. Porzingis was six of eight from the floor for 16 points and Anthony was five of six for 12 points.

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Knicks make key stop to quiet Thunder

For almost two weeks, Oklahoma City have been preaching relentlessly that they had to get better on defense. Yet, it has not materialized on the court in the form of consistent wins. On Friday, they saw what happens when a team puts defense first.

The New York Knicks came to town sporting that mindset and when they needed to get one stop to win a game, they did as they pulled out 93-90 victory at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"We just wanted to get a stop," New York coach Derek Fisher said. "Doesn't really matter how you get into that position. It's a three-point game. In order to win, you have to get a stop."

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on nine of 20 shooting from the field and grabbed five rebounds. Arron Afflalo scored 14 points for New York and Lance Thomas came off to bench to score 12

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Dion Waiters added 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor.

The Knicks improved to 7-6 while the Thunder fell to 7-6.

Westbrook downplayed the team being frustrated at the way they have been playing since the injury to Kevin Durant sidelined the All Star for the past five games.

"We just have to find a way to put together some wins," Westbrook said. "That's about it."



'DIFFICULT OFFENSIVE NIGHT'

After trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter, the Thunder cut the lead to eight on Nick Collison's putback with 5:35 left. After Anthony knocked in a jumper, Enes Kanter answered with a rebound and putback on the other end.

But just as the Oklahoma City fans were starting to get loud, Afflalo hit a bucket from the corner and the Knicks were back up by 10 with 3:45 on the clock.

Oklahoma City were down 89-85 with 46 seconds left and Westbrook fouled Anthony, who missed both free throws. The Thunder got the ball with 32 seconds remaining and Westbrook got the ball to a wide-open Serge Ibaka, whose three-pointer from the corner rimmed out and Knicks rebounded.

Robin Lopez and Anthony followed with four free throws for the Knicks. However, Westbrook hit a jumper and three-pointer to cut the Thunder's deficit to three.

"You just never know what to expect when Russ has the ball," Anthony said. "He is coming down hill full speed. And you don't know if he is going to keep driving or put up a three.

"You have to keep all eyes on him. You just never know what to expect when it comes to Russ."

The Knicks turned the ball over and the Thunder had another chance to send the game into overtime, but shots from Westbrook and Waiters were both off the mark.

Oklahoma City dominated on the boards with a 49-36 advantage, but the Knicks held them to 38 percent shooting from the floor.

"I gave our guys a lot of credit as far as hanging in there," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.

"The difference in the game was the three-point line. We really weren't able to make too many of ours. I was pleased with our guys continuing to fight and battle through a difficult offensive night."

(Compiled by Peter Rutherford)

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Nuggets end Cavs' win streak

Nuggets 106, Cavaliers 97

Arron Afflalo had a season-high 23 points, guard Ty Lawson had 24 points and 12 assists and the Denver Nuggets ended the Cleveland Cavaliers' four-game winning streak with a 106-97 victory on the road.

The Nuggets (3-7) led throughout the second half as the Cavs (5-4) struggled with forward LeBron James battling a head cold, limiting him to 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

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Mavericks 107, Hornets 80

Guard Monta Ellis scored 18 points and forward Chandler Parsons added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks routed the Charlotte Hornets 107-80.

The Mavericks rolled to a 24-point halftime lead by shooting 61.9 percent from the field, then led by as many as 33 in the second half before resting their starters the entire fourth quarter.

Dallas (8-3) earned its fourth consecutive win while Charlotte (4-7) has lost four of its past five.

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Spurs 100, 76ers 75

With neither Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili nor Tony Parker logging more than 18 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs defeated Philadelphia 100-75 for their fourth victory in the last five games.

The 76ers, meanwhile, fell to 0-10.

Spurs (6-4) forward Matt Bonner led the team with 18 points in 20 minutes.

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Trail Blazers 102, Pelicans 93

Portland outscored New Orleans 34-13 in the fourth quarter to erase a 15-point deficit and escape with a 102-93 victory.

Guard Damian Lillard scored 24 points and dished out seven assists as the Trail Blazers (8-3) won their fifth straight game. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points with nine rebounds for the Blazers.

Forward Anthony Davis collected 31 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots for the Pelicans (5-4).

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