The Knicks saw their season flash in front of their eyes when Heat forward Justice Winslow stepped on the foot of Kristaps Porzingis, injuring his ankle early in the game. Porzingis needed to be helped up off the floor and was immediately escorted into the locker room.
Knicks (11-10) defeat Heat (10-11) 115-86
A fog hung over Madison Square Garden for most of the first half as everyone waited for word on Porzingis. But the Knicks didn’t let that affect their play on-the-court, going up 65-44 at halftime. X-rays on Porzingis’ ankle were negative, so eventually all turned right in Knicks' land as New York continued to build on its lead in the second-half.
Enes Kanter led the Knicks with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Magic (9-13) defeat Thunder (8-12) 121-108
The Thunder need to figure this out. With last year’s MVP (Russell Westbrook) and two former All-Stars (Paul George and Carmelo Anthony), they need to be much better than they’ve shown or things are going to be shaken up. Oklahoma City got down by six early against the Magic but cut that number to two by intermission. Aaron Gordon dropped 20 points and five rebounds to lead Orlando in the first half.
The Thunder got its act together somewhat in the third to take the lead, but Orlando reclaimed it right back. Oklahoma City absorbed body blows from the Magic throughout the game, but got knocked out when Orlando went on a 13-0 run to go up twenty at the start the fourth.
Gordon continued his strong play in the second half, finishing with 40 points and 15 rebounds. Westbrook had 37 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder.
76ers (12-8) defeat Wizards (11-10) 118-113
The 76ers were shown who was still king of the Eastern Conference Monday (Nov. 27) night as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers bested Philly in a rout.
But the Sixers found their game again versus the Wizards, racing out to a 28-18 lead. An impressive Ben Simmons first half (11 points, 11 rebounds) helped Philly to an 18-point advantage.
The Sixers had a 19-point lead heading into the final quarter, but the Wizards mounted a comeback. Washington slashed the deficit to three twice in the final minute, but Philly answered with points each time.
Simmons' stellar game culminated with 31 points and 18 rebounds. Joel Embiid had 25 points and 14 boards along with this fantastic play on both ends of the court.
Rockets (17-4) defeat Pacers (12-10) 118-97
The Pacers not only initially hung with the high-octane Rockets on Houston’s home court but actually had the edge on them (27-22) after one. But the Rockets have the best record in the league for a reason and began to right the ship in the second quarter. A five-point Houston lead at halftime grew to 18 at the end of the third and 21 by the final buzzer. James Harden had 29 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists for the Rockets.
Raptors (13-7) defeat Hornets (8-12) 126-113
DeMar DeRozan started off the game with the hot hand, dropping 10 points in the first quarter to propel the Raptors to a 32-25 lead.
But it was Toronto’s other All-Star guard, Kyle Lowry, who helped the Raptors extend that lead to 19 points by halftime. Lowry shot 6-9 from the field in the first-half for 19 points.
However, the Hornets battled back; Charlotte's third quarter began with an incredible 19-2 run to cut the deficit to two at the 8:00 mark. But DeRozan answered, scoring six of the game’s next eight points to give Toronto back some cushion. The Hornets couldn't get any closer than three before the Raptors ultimately cruised to a 13-point victory. Lowry (36 points) and DeRozan (30 points) led the way for Toronto.
Timberwolves (13-9) defeat Pelicans (11-10) 120-102
LeBron James was ejected for the first time in his career Tuesday (Nov.
28), and Pelicans' star Anthony Davis received his first ejection on Wednesday (Nov. 29). The Pelicans were down just three halfway through the second quarter when Davis got tossed.
Without Davis, New Orleans’ hopes for a victory vanished. The Timberwolves went on an immediate run to take a 62-49 lead at halftime and never looked back. Anthony Wiggins had 28 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota.
Pistons (14-6) defeat Suns (8-15) 131-107
Between Phoenix’s lack of roster talent and playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Suns didn’t stand a chance. Phoenix earned a hard-fought victory on-the-road over Chicago on Tuesday (Nov. 28) night but struggled in their start against Detroit. The Pistons jumped out to a 36-19 score by the end of the first quarter and were up by 28 at halftime.
If the game wasn’t over already, the Pistons extended that margin to 34 points by the end of the third quarter to put it to bed. Reggie Jackson led Detroit with 23 points and five assists, while Tobias Harris added 20 points and seven rebounds.