NBA: Julius Randle, Knicks knock off Pistons

Julius Randle regained his All-Star form, finishing with 27 points and 16 rebounds to help the host New York Knicks close out the season's first half with a 114-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

Coming off a subpar 14-point performance in a loss to the Spurs on Tuesday, Randle shot 11-for-19 from the field and also had seven assists to help New York persevere despite playing without Derrick Rose for the second consecutive game due to the NBA's health and safety protocols.

Rose returned multiple negative tests for COVD-19 before the game, but the league ruled him ineligible to play against his former team.

All five Knicks starters scored in double figures. RJ Barrett scored 21 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.

The Pistons spread the points out even more, finishing with eight players in double figures. Wayne Ellington led with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

The Knicks welcomed back Elfrid Payton, who missed four games with a right hamstring injury. He finished with 20 points and six rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting. Taj Gibson remained out with a sprained left ankle.

Reggie Bullock and Nerlens Noel each added 12 points for the Knicks, and Noel contributed 11 rebounds.

Rookie Immanuel Quickley, though, who entered averaging just over 12 points per game, played only 13 minutes and was held scoreless.

The Knicks shot 54.2 percent from the field, outrebounded the Pistons, 47-29, and outscored them, 66-38, in the paint.

Saddiq Bey had 14 points for Detroit, while Mason Plumlee finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Rodney McGruder had 13 points off the Pistons bench, and Dennis Smith Jr. added 12 points. Reserves Isaiah Stewart and Sekou Doumbouya each had 10.

Jerami Grant (left quad), Josh Jackson (illness), Frank Jackson (illness), Killian Hayes (right hip strain), Delon Wright (right groin strain), Jahlil Okafor (left knee surgery) and Blake Griffin (not with the team) were out for Detroit.

The Knicks open the second half with a four-game road trip beginning March 11 at Milwaukee. The Pistons also resume on the road with back-to-back games at Charlotte and Brooklyn on March 11 and 13.

-reuters-

NBA: Thunder pull out victory over Knicks

Hamidou Diallo scored 11 of his season-high 23 points in the fourth quarter Friday night as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away from the New York Knicks for a 101-89 win.

Diallo also added a season-high 11 rebounds despite coming off the bench for the Thunder, which trailed by 11 points in the first quarter before coming back to win their second straight.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also had a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Al Horford added 15 points and eight assists.

Julius Randle had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. RJ Barrett scored 19 points while Elfrid Payton (16 points) and Austin Rivers (12 points) also got into double digits.

Barrett scored nine points in the first quarter and twice hit layups that put the Knicks ahead by 11 points.

The Thunder stormed back and took the lead at 28-26 following an 18-5 run spanning the first two periods. Kenrich Williams ended the run with a game-tying 3-pointer and a go-ahead layup.

The Knicks responded with a 7-0 run, during which they held Oklahoma City scoreless for 3:22.

The teams traded the lead three times in the final two minutes before a putback dunk by Mitchell Robinson with just under eight seconds left tied the score 42-42 at the half.

The teams weren't separated by more than three points in the third until the Thunder took a 61-56 lead following a 7-0 run in which Diallo drained a 3-pointer and Gilgeous-Alexander hit back-to-back layups.

The teams went cold again over the final three minutes, during which Oklahoma City outscored the Knicks 6-0 until Rivers hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cut the gap to 69-63.

Rivers opened the fourth with a driving layup for the Knicks, who closed within five points three more times before a layup by Isaiah Roby began an 8-2 run to give the Thunder its first double-digit lead at 86-75 with 4:46 left.

New York got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

-reuters-

Lin happy to smash stereotypes by living the NBA dream

NEW YORK - New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin is trying not to get caught up in the buzz generated by his explosion onto the NBA scene but the Taiwanese-American point guard is glad to be helping break down stereotypes.

The league's only Taiwanese-American player was neither recruited by a major college basketball power nor drafted by any NBA team and after playing only 29 games in the league last season, was cut by two clubs before being signed by the Knicks.

After using his pinpoint passing to extend the Knicks' winning streak to seven with a 100-85 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Lin said he was happy to show that Asian-Americans could thrive in the NBA as could players from elite academic institutions such as his alma mater Harvard.

"There are definitely stereotypes, obviously," Lin said about preconceived notions about Asian-Americans being able to compete at the NBA level.

"There's a lot of them. The more we can do to break those down by the day, the better we'll become. Hopefully in the near future we'll see a lot more Asians and Asian-Americans playing basketball in the NBA."

California-born Lin said he was looking forward to returning to the homeland of his parents after the NBA season to host a basketball camp.

"I did that last summer as well," the soft-spoken 23-year-old said. "I have a strong passion for the game and I have a strong passion for Taiwan. I would love to do that.

"The kids were awesome. It was one of the highlights of my summer, so it's something I definitely want to do again."

Lin, who was not recruited by any U.S. college basketball powers, went to Harvard and earned a degree in economics.

Elite snub

Despite shining on the Ivy League stage, he was not drafted by any NBA teams. After playing less than 10 minutes per contest in 29 games last season for the Golden State Warriors, he was cut by two clubs this season before being signed by the Knicks.

He said he would also like to dispel the notion that players from elite academic universities could not compete at the highest level.

"That's another stereotype," Lin added. "Ivy League basketball is definitely on the rise. Harvard basketball is on the rise."

Lin said he was trying hard to stay focused and not get caught up in the excitement generated by his dazzling results since getting a chance to play.

"I want to be the same person, before and after. I don't want to let anything affect me or this team. Playing in New York is a big stage. That's obviously a temptation and the danger.

"We need to make sure we're sticking together. We put our egos aside, and when we put our egos aside and really buy into coach (Mike) D'Antoni's system we're going to win games."

Lin said the most surprising thing to him had been the way the Knicks (15-15) had bonded as a team.

"We were losing games and could have started pointing fingers," he said about losing nine of 10 before this winning streak.

"It's unbelievable right now. The camaraderie on this team is just ridiculous. It's just a joy to be around them every day. You show up to the practice facility and it's all smiles across the board. That's the beauty of team sports and that's the beauty of basketball."

source: abs-cbnnews.com

At The Buzzer, Lin Delivers

TORONTO — The clock was running down – on the game, on the Knicks and on Jeremy Lin’s mystical streak, which was teetering on the edge of disappointment. The seconds kept disappearing until Lin stopped his dribble, pulled up and launched from the 3-point arc.

The ball swished with a half-second remaining, setting off pandemonium at Air Canada Centre, which momentarily adopted the NBA.’s newest star as its own. The crowd had just witnessed another fantastic chapter in Lin’s growing legend.

The shot broke a tie and completed a furious comeback against the Toronto Raptors. And when Rasual Butler’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed badly, the Knicks had a 90-87 victory, and their Lin-inspired winning streak had reached six.

“You just watch and you’re in awe,” Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni said.

This was not Lin’s best night, to be sure. He forced a lot of shots, was 9 for 20 from the field, committed eight turnovers and struggled to contain Jose Calderon. But the night ended as so many have since Lin became the Knicks’ unlikely star – with giddy elation. Lin finished with 27 points (his sixth straight game with at least 20) and 11 assists.

Lin had tied the score moments earlier with a 3-point play, after driving into Amir Johnson in the lane. On the final play, he dribbled casually with Calderon in front of him before taking the shot.

On the bench, Amar’e Stoudemire could not stop smiling.

Stoudemire rejoined the Knicks after taking a week off following the death of his older brother. He was a bit erratic, going 8 for 22 from the field, but finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds.

The Knicks (14-15) have their longest winning streak since last March and April, when they won seven in a row.

The Raptors (9-21) rarely let Lin get to the basket without a bump, a bang or a bruise. He spent a considerable amount of time on his back. The Raptors also kept him occupied defensively, with Calderon (25 points) and Leandro Barbosa (13 points) repeatedly challenging him.

Lin and Stoudemire fueled a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 78-76. Other than a pair of missed free throws, Lin was superb, converting a tough driving layup and penetrating and dishing to Stoudemire for a powerful dunk. The Raptors responded quickly, with an 8-1 run that was capped by two driving Barbosa layups. But Lin kept attacking, and Tyson Chandler kept possession after possession alive with his rebounding.

source: mb.com.ph