It has been a tough season so far for the New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony is no longer in town, and the franchise is now looking for Kristaps Porzingis to be their new leader. The Knicks lost their first three games of the season and on Friday night, they hosted the Brooklyn Nets hoping to get their first win finally. The Nets were shorthanded in this one as they were playing without their backup point guard Jeremy Lin.
Prior to Friday's matchup, Brooklyn had won four straight games against New York.
Knicks get their first win of the season
The Nets opened up the game with a solid first quarter. They outscored the Knicks 28-23 in the first period and held a 36-35 lead midway through the second quarter. But it was New York with the lead at halftime, as the score was 47-42 for the home team. The Knicks took control of this game in the third quarter, as they totally outplayed the Nets in the period. They outscored them 36-24 in the third period and ran away with this one. The Knicks held an 83-66 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
New York had no trouble in closing out this game, as they ended up with a comfortable, 107-86 victory. It was the first win of the season for Jeff Hornacek's team.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Knicks to the win on Friday night, as he finished the game with 30 points and nine rebounds. Courtney Lee added 13 points and three rebounds for the Knicks, while Enes Kanter finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
For the Nets, D'Angelo Russell led the way with 15 points in 17 minutes of playing time. Trevor Booker added 10 points and four rebounds for the away team.
Magic with an impressive win against the Spurs
The Orlando Magic hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Amway Center in Orlando. The home team played great in this one from the opening tip.
They outscored the Spurs 32-18 in the first quarter and held a 20-point lead (45-25) midway through the second period. At halftime, the score was 61-34 for Orlando. The Magic ran away with this one in the third period of the game, outscoring the Spurs 33-30 in the third quarter. They held a 95-64 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and it was apparent that a blowout is in store for San Antonio. The final score was 114-87 for the Magic as they took their fourth win of the season. Orlando is now at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record.
Evan Fournier led the home team in scoring with 25 points, and he also added five rebounds. Jonathon Simmons scored 17 points for Orlando, while Aaron Gordon added 16 points and six rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio in this one with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs.