NBA: Mavericks snap Nuggets' five-game winning streak

Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat visiting Denver 111-101 on Monday, snapping the Nuggets' five-game winning streak.

Porzingis made five 3-pointers and Luka Doncic added 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists before heading to the locker room in the final minute with a left ankle injury.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas, which won for the fifth time in its last six games.

Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Denver. Monte Morris had 17 points and Aaron Gordon recorded 14 points and seven rebounds.

Denver led 83-79 before Dorian Finney-Smith, Reggie Bullock and Hardaway opened the fourth quarter with three straight 3-pointers to put the Mavericks ahead by seven with 10 minutes remaining.

Tempers flared early in the fourth quarter after Nuggets forward JaMychal Green shoved Dallas guard Frank Ntilikina to the ground, but cooler heads prevailed and Green remained in the game.

After Jokic scored with 2:46 left to pull Denver within 108-98, Hardaway's 3-pointer extended the Mavericks' lead with 1:59 remaining.

Both teams shot a blistering 63.6 percent in the first quarter, which ended when Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Dallas ahead 35-32. Brunson finished with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Nuggets center Bol Bol provided a spark off the bench with seven quick points to open the second quarter. Dallas was held to 14 points on 5-of-22 shooting in the period and trailed 58-49 at the break.

Jokic had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half for Denver, which closed with a 14-5 run.

Porzingis scored 17 points in the first half and remained hot in the third quarter, when his 3-pointer cut the Mavericks' deficit to 73-66 with 5:50 left.

Denver, which completed a 5-0 homestand with a 124-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, was looking to repeat a 31-point victory over the Mavericks on Oct. 29.

Nuggets guard Will Barton missed his second straight game due to low back tightness while forward Michael Porter Jr. remained out with lower back pain.

-reuters-

NBA: Porzingis, Doncic carry Mavs to OT win over Pelicans

Kristaps Porzingis scored 34 points, and Luka Doncic added a 30-point triple-double as the host Dallas Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 127-123, in overtime on Wednesday.

Seth Curry added 21 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 and Delon Wright had 10 for the Mavericks. Doncic added 17 rebounds and 10 assists, and Porzingis had 12 boards and five blocked shots. Dallas improved to 6-3 in the past nine games.

Brandon Ingram scored 27 before fouling out, Lonzo Bell had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Zion Williamson scored 21 for the Pelicans, who lost their third straight. Jrue Holiday had 19 points, Frank Jackson scored 12, and Derrick Favors added 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The score was tied three times in overtime before Doncic made a 3-pointer for a 121-118 lead with 1:10 left.

The Mavericks led by two at halftime, and the Pelicans tied the score four times during the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

Williamson's dunk gave New Orleans its first lead since the first quarter, and Josh Hart followed with a layup that gave the Pelicans a 77-73 edge.

The score was tied three more times before Courtney Lee's dunk gave Dallas an 87-85 lead at the end of the third quarter.

New Orleans scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, and the game was tied three times before Wright's 3-pointer gave the Mavericks a 98-95 lead.

Ball's 3-pointer pulled the Pelicans even at 100 midway through the final quarter.

The score was tied twice more before Doncic's layup gave Dallas a 106-104 edge with 3:43 left.

Ingram's 3-pointer and baseline jumper gave New Orleans a 109-106 advantage with 1:51 left.

Maxi Kleber dunked, Curry made a 3-pointer and Curry sank one of two free throws to give the Mavericks a 112-109 lead with 10 seconds left.

Nicolo Melli hit a 3-pointer over Porzingis to tie the score with 7.9 seconds left and force overtime.

The Pelicans led for most of the first quarter before Curry's 3-pointer gave the Mavericks a 24-22 lead at the end of the period.

Dallas took its biggest lead of the game at 45-34 when Hardaway made a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter.

Favors scored the final four points of the half as New Orleans got within 57-55 at halftime.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Porzingis accused of rape in New York

Dallas Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis has been accused of raping a New York neighbor on Feb. 7, 2018, hours after suffering a serious knee injury while playing for the Knicks, the New York Post reported Saturday.

The alleged victim contacted police this week with details of the alleged rape, according to the Post.

The Post said that the accuser was considered "believable" despite waiting more than 13 months to report the incident. She told police that she and Porzingis discussed $68,000 in hush money.

Porzingis' attorney, Roland G. Riopelle, issued the following statement to ESPN on Saturday:

"We are aware of the complaint that was made against Mr. Porzingis on Friday and unequivocally deny the allegations. We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20th, 2018, based on the accuser's extortionate demands. We also alerted the National Basketball Association months ago and they are aware of the ongoing investigation of the accuser by federal law enforcement.

"We cannot comment further on an ongoing federal investigation. Please refer any questions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the National Basketball Association."

The 23-year-old Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks on Jan. 31. Owner Mark Cuban is aware of the accusation as the Mavericks were informed about it on a conference call to finalize the trade, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"We have been instructed by federal authorities not to comment," Cuban told The Post in an email. The Post said Cuban copied the email to NBA officials and Porzingis' representatives.

According to the Post, the woman lived in the same building as Porzingis and said he showed up at her unit around 2 a.m. She accepted an invitation to Porzingis' suite.

She told police that after entering, the 7-foot-3 Porzingis held her down and raped her, according to the Post.

The woman said she waited more than a year to report the rape because of the money Porzingis promised in exchange for her silence.

The $68,000 was supposed to pay for her brother's college tuition, but Porzingis reneged on the deal, the woman reportedly told police.

Porzingis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee earlier that night in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He never played for the Knicks again due to the injury and the recent trade.

The Knicks were reportedly contacted by the New York Post about the allegation.

"This is Kristaps' personal matter and not related to the Knicks," a team spokesman said.

Porzingis averaged 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in 186 games over three seasons with the Knicks.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Knicks trade Porzingis to Mavericks in blockbuster deal

The Dallas Mavericks made injured forward Kristaps Porzingis' wish come true Thursday by agreeing to acquire the All-Star player from the New York Knicks in a deal involving seven players and two first-round picks.

The Knicks will also send Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Mavericks in return for two future first-round picks, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan. Porzingis -- who will be a restricted free agent after this season -- has yet to make a decision on his future with Dallas, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

ESPN adds the first-round picks will be an unprotected selection in 2021 and a top-10 protected choice in 2023. As part of the trade during the 2018 draft to acquire Luka Doncic, Dallas owes it protected 2019 first-rounder to the Atlanta Hawks.

According to an earlier ESPN report, Porzingis met with Knicks management Thursday and gave the team the impression he preferred to be traded.

Per ESPN, Porzingis and his brother/agent, Janis, reportedly attended a meeting with Knicks brass to express concern with the team's losing and "an uncertainty that a culture is developing that will enable sustainable organizational success." 

The Knicks came away from the meeting with plans to discuss trading Porzingis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, the report added. Hours later, news of the deal emerged.

The Knicks' record this season is an NBA-worst 10-40, and they have lost 11 in a row, 19 of 20 and 24 of 26.

Porzingis, who has been out almost a year while recovering from a torn left ACL suffered in February 2018, had his name surface in trade rumors for the New Orleans Pelicans' Anthony Davis, but ESPN reported earlier Thursday that it was unlikely he would be part of a package deal this summer because he would be a restricted free agent and "reluctant" to agree to a sign-and-trade.

New York decided not to sign Porzingis to a rookie extension before the 2018-19 season -- allowing him to become a restricted free agent after this season -- in part to preserve an extra $10 million in cap space to go after free agents this summer.

Before the trade, the Knicks were projected to have slightly more than $30 million available under the salary cap, enough to lure a max-value contract in free agency. Now, along with Porzingis and Burke, they are also parting ways with two large salaries.

Hardaway, a 6-foot-6 guard averaging 19.1 points and 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game this season, signed a four-year deal with the Knicks in 2017 worth $71 million. 

His yearly pay increases from $17.3 million this season to $18.2 million in 2019-20, with a player option in 2020-21 worth almost $19 million.

Lee, a 6-5 guard averaging 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in only 12 games this season, signed a four-year deal in 2016 worth $48 million, topping out at more than $12.7 million in 2019-20.

Burke, a sixth-year point guard, is averaging 11.8 points per game this season.

If Porzingis decides to play this season with the Mavericks, there's no telling when he will be ready.

Updating the 23-year-old Porzingis' condition in December, Knicks president Steve Mills said he couldn't predict when -- or if -- the Latvian star would play this season. Mills told reporters then that he wouldn't put a timetable on his return, while awaiting tests in mid-February.

Porzingis had a run-in with Knicks coach David Fizdale in November, who said his star player had yet to start sprinting as part of his rehab. 

Porzingis quickly refuted that, posting photos of him sprinting on an outdoor track, along with another shot of UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov captioned, "This is number one bull(bleep)."

A day later, Fizdale tried to clear the air, saying, "I'm the only doofus that didn't know he had went out to the track. Like I said, part of it is because I'm just locked into (coaching the team)."

Porzingis underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL on Feb. 13, 2018, and initially was expected to be out for at least 10 months. 

He was averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and an NBA-best 2.4 blocks per game at the time of his injury, earning his first career All-Star selection in his third season.

Matthews, a veteran small forward, is averaging 13.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season.

Smith, a second-year point guard who was a 2017 lottery pick, is averaging 12.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. He recently returned from an absence from the team after disappointment with head coach Rick Carlisle over his reduced role this season.

Jordan, a 6-foot-11 veteran center, is averaging 11 points and 13.7 rebounds over 50 games this year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Knicks hold off Mavs' rally, end three-game skid

Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and eight rebounds and Jarrett Jack drained the tiebreaking shot to help the New York Knicks post a 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night in Dallas.

Kyle O'Quinn contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench as New York halted a three-game slide and won for just the second time in the past nine contests. Enes Kanter recorded 13 points and 18 rebounds and Jack had 12 points and eight assists.

Harrison Barnes scored 25 points for the Mavericks, who have lost three straight following a season-best four-game winning streak. Wesley Matthews added 14 points but Dallas shot just 37.4 percent from the field - including 6 of 24 from 3-point range - and was outrebounded 59-40.

  
The Knicks blew a late 13-point lead but were rescued by Jack, who hit an 11-foot floater in the lane with 31.4 seconds left for a 96-94 edge. Courtney Lee tacked on four three throws to boost the lead to six before Barnes scored a meaningless basket.

The margin was three early in the fourth quarter before Frank Ntilikina and O'Quinn tallied back-to-back baskets to cap a 9-0 surge as the Knicks took an 86-74 lead with 7:08 remaining. O'Quinn later scored in the interior to push the score to 90-77 with 4:49 to play.

New York still held an eight-point lead after two free throws by Porzingis with 3:25 to play. But Barnes began an 8-0 burst with a 3-pointer and Devin Harris ended it with another 3 to tie the score at 92 with 2:28 to play.

Porzingis scored 13 points and Kanter added 11 as the Knicks took a 56-52 lead into the break.

New York started strong with the game's first eight points and later held a 22-11 advantage after Doug McDermott's 3-pointer with 4:37 left in the opening quarter. The Knicks were 14-of-19 shooting and led 33-25 at the end of the stanza.

New York led 48-38 after a 3-point by Ntilikina with 5:31 remaining in the half before Dallas finished strong and moved within four on Smith's 3-pointer as time expired.

Porzingis scored 10 of the Knicks' 19 third-quarter points as New York led 75-71 entering the final stanza.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Porzingis, Knicks hand Clippers' 9th straight loss

Kristaps Porzingis led six players in double figures as New York handed Los Angeles its ninth straight loss, 107-85.

Reserve Doug McDermott added 16 points, Tim Hardaway Jr contributed 13 while Enes Kanter totaled 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Blake Griffin scored 21 points before fouling out as Los Angeles also dropped to 1-11 in its last 12 games.


Cavaliers 116, Pistons 107

Kevin Love collected 19 points and 11 rebounds as Cleveland routed Detroit, 116-88, for its fifth straight win.

LeBron James added 18 points in 27 minutes as Cleveland led by as many as 39 and shot 52.5 percent. Jae Crowder also scored 18 points for Cleveland.

Stanley Johnson scored 11 points for Detroit but Andre Drummond finished with eight points and eight rebounds. Drummond failed to get at least 12 rebounds for the first time this season.


76ers 107, Jazz 86

Rookie Ben Simmons posted his 11th double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds as Philadelphia beat Utah.

Simmons made 13-of-24 shots as Philadelphia shot 51.8 percent. JJ Reddick added 20 and Joel Embiid contributed 15 for the 76ers.

Rookie Donvan Mitchell led the Jazz with 17 points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

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.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spurs edge Knicks to keep home win streak alive

(The Sports Xchange) - San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds as the Spurs shaded the New York Knicks 100-99 to win their 22nd straight home game this season.

The Spurs (32-6) are just the second Western Conference team to open a season 22-0 at home. Portland won their first 26 home games in 1977-78.

San Antonio led 79-74 after three quarters and opened the fourth with seven straight points to give them some breathing room in a game that featured two ties and eight lead changes.

New York made a final run in the last 5 1/2 minutes, cutting the Spurs' lead to one point on an alley-oop dunk by Kristaps Porzingis with 32.3 seconds to play.

Spurs guard Tony Parker missed a floater with 15.9 seconds left and the Knicks had a shot to win.

New York forward Carmelo Anthony drove into the lane but was well defended by Leonard and reserve guard Manu Ginobili and passed to guard Jose Calderon, whose three-point attempt with .8 of a second to play bounced off the rim as time expired.

"We got a good shot, and that was the most important thing, no matter who took the shot," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said.

"These kinds of games teach you that really have to completely empty yourself in order to be your best.

"Sometimes you still come up short and we did tonight. We had an opportunity to win the game and we didn't -- there are no moral victories."

Ginobili said he came over to help Leonard defend Anthony on the final possession in an attempt to "make things crowded."

"You know Carmelo is a guy who can shoot over almost anyone in the league," Ginobili said.

"I tried to make it crowded and then close out on Jose (Calderon) as good as I could. It was not an easy shot and Jose is a great shooter, especially from the corner."

Calderon is a 41 percent shooter from beyond the arc but said he put a little more on the shot to make sure it would not be blocked.

"In the last second, Melo (Anthony) saw me in the corner and I had a good look at the shot," Calderon said. "I thought Ginobili was close to touching it, so I shot it a little harder and I missed.

"We've grown up a lot as a team in the past few weeks and we trust each other. We did a lot of good things out there tonight that we have to continue to grow from."

The victory allowed the Spurs to pad their best home start ever and extend their win streak in AT&T Center to 31 games dating back to the final nine home games of 2014-15.

San Antonio got 16 points apiece from Ginobili, forward LaMarcus Aldridge and Parker.

The Knicks (18-20) were led by Porzingis, the rookie who poured in a game-high 28 points with a dizzying mixture of shots from long distance and in the paint and had 11 rebounds.

"(Porzingis) is a hell of a young player," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's got drive, he's got intelligence, he's got skills and he competes."

Anthony added 20 points and 12 rebounds for New York, while Robin Lopez scored 12 points, Langston Galloway had 11 and Lance Thomas 10.

San Antonio missed three of their first four shots of the third quarter and the Knicks jumped at the chance to retake the lead at 56-54 on Anthony's deep three-pointer.

The Spurs responded behind three baskets by Parker and a ringing three-pointer from Ginobili to take a 79-74 lead to the fourth quarter.

"It's not bad to win games like that," Ginobili said.

"Nothing is easy in the NBA and we knew that the Knicks were playing great and feeling good about themselves and that we had to play much better than we have been to get this win -- and I think we did."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cavaliers down Knicks 91-84 for early Christmas cheer

Kevin Love had 23 points and 13 rebounds and forward LeBron James added 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 91-84 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The Knicks were playing without Carmelo Anthony and still nearly pulled off the upset thanks to 23 points and 13 rebounds from rookie Kristaps Porzingis.

The Knicks rallied from 11 points down to take their first lead on a tip-in from forward Lou Amundson with 11 minutes to play, but they were well held near the close with Porzingis shut out in the fourth quarter.


Cavs guard Kyrie Irving played 20 minutes in his second game back from a fractured kneecap, but was clearly still rusty, with

five points and four assists on 1-of-7 shooting from the field.

The Knicks limited the Cavs to 39 percent shooting from the floor and had a chance to win until the final minute.

Cavs guard Iman Shumpert's defense forced the Knicks into a timeout after guard Arron Afflalo was trapped in the corner with the score tied at 82.

Knicks forward Lance Thomas threw away the inbounds pass and Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova converted at the other end.

The Cavs strung together a couple more stops, including once when Shumpert stripped Afflalo again two possessions later for a turnover, and James clinched the win with a dunk in the final minute.

Guard Mo Williams returned after missing a week with a sprained right thumb.

"I'll be happiest when we see a full roster that's entirely healthy, but it feels good," Blatt said. "We've been waiting for this."

(Editing by Ian Ransom)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Knicks pick Porzingis ready to turn around boos from hometown fans

NEW YORK - Latvia's Kristaps Porzingis received a rough welcome to U.S. professional basketball on Thursday, when fans of the New York Knicks booed their team's selection of the 19-year-old with the fourth pick in the NBA draft.

But the slender, 7-foot-1 (2.16 m) forward Porzingis took the reception in his stride, acknowledging that New York fans are "a little harsh sometimes, but ... I'm ready for it."

"A lot of fans weren't happy that they drafted me," Porzingis told reporters.

"But I have to do everything that's in my hands to turn those booing fans into clapping fans."

While seen as having massive potential, disapproving Knicks fans fear that it will take years to realize that promise and Porzingis has realized he needs to bulk up and get stronger.

"For me, it is a dream come true to play for the Knicks," said Porzingis, who eagerly held up his New York jersey with his name and the number 15 emblazoned on it.

Porzingis, the first European player selected at this year's draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, excited NBA scouts with a deft shooting touch and perimeter skills to go along with his length.

The Knicks hope he can help rebuild the team following a dismal season in which they lost 65 games and finished last in the Eastern Conference.

"I think I have enough talent to be that special player to help a franchise get better results," Porzingis said.

"I want to be that guy."

Porzingis became the second Latvian player drafted by the NBA. Andris Biedrins was selected 11th by the Golden State Warriors in 2004.

"He was a guy I looked up to, so hopefully now I can be that guy in Latvia for kids to look up to," Porzingis said.

Porzingis said it would be a "blessing" to play under Knicks president Phil Jackson, a former player for New York and 11-time NBA champion coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

European players picked high have a mixed NBA track record. Not since Dirk Nowitzki was taken in 1998 and Pau Gasol in 2001 has a European selected in the lottery become an All-Star in the league.

"For those people who don't know me, they might think I'm a soft European," Porzingis said.

"There have been busts before. I'm different."

(Editing by Larry Fine)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com