(Basketball news) The Knicks defeated the Lakers 106-100 as LeBron James was suspended for this match and although Anthony Davis played, he wasn’t 100% fit. With one superstar suspended and another sick, the Los Angeles Lakers already had big problems after that they created a hole for themselves by falling into a 25-point hole. Julius Randle added 20 points, 16 rebounds and five assists for the Knicks and Evan Fonier scored 26 points, Immanuel Quickley adding 12 of his 14 in the fourth quarter. Westbrook had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, with 18 points in a sensational third quarter, Davis, who woke up with a fever, had 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting. He said he arrived only about 45 minutes before the game and didn't have his usual warm up. With this result the Lakers record fell to 9-10 as they moved down one place to 9th in the Western Conference.
'We weren't playing hard enough. Simple No team wants to come out down 10-0, but it's a long game and we fought back and gave ourselves a chance,'' Russell Westbrook said.
“So I definitely think that he was a little bit drained and we used him differently,'' coach Frank Vogel said. ''We tried to keep him in seven-minute runs and he did not play in his normal rotation, so it probably had an impact.
''We were just trying to buy some time there and that group ended up going on a little bit of a run, so it allowed us to go a little bit longer (without Randle),'' Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Miami Heat defeated the Pistons 100-92 as they improved their record to 12-6, Tyler Herro had 31 points and eight rebounds as they rallied home to beat them. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in six games. Kyle Lowry had 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Jerami Grant had 21 points and seven rebounds for Detroit as they were without center Isaiah Stewart, who served the first of a two-game suspension for Sunday's altercation with Lakers star LeBron James.
''It wasn't just Tyler. Our whole second unit turned the game around in the third quarter,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''We really didn't have any offensive rhythm in the first three quarters – and Detroit had a lot to do with that – but we put together some stops and that helped us get going offensively.''
“The game is different in the fourth quarter and we're still learning how to handle that,'' Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. ''You can be up 10 or up 15, but it doesn't matter because of the 3-pointer and the way teams turn it up late.''
The Dallas Maverick stopped a late surge as they won 112-104 in overtime against the LA Clippers. The Dallas Mavericks folded in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers after blowing a 10-point lead but Porzingis scored 30 points, including six in overtime, and Doncic had 26 in his return to the lineup as the Mavericks as they improved their record to 10-7 in the Western Conference. The Mavericks were up 102-92 late in the fourth quarter before the Clippers scored 11 of the final 12 points to force overtime, including a 3-pointer by Paul George at the buzzer. For the Clippers Reggie Jackson led the Clippers with 31 points, his most in 2 1/2 seasons with the team. George scored 26. With this result the Clippers record stands at 10-8 as they fall down to 5th in the Western Conference.
“For a second you are disappointed because we should have finished them off (in regulation), but I think we are growing mentally as a team,'' said Porzingis, who has scored 20 or more points in a career-high seven straight games. “We realized it was five more minutes and we went out there and proved we are the superior team”.
''That second felt like it was forever. Guess I just got free and let it fly,'' George said after his buzzer beater.
“He's playing at a very high level. He didn't force anything. Sometimes when a star player comes back others might change their game but he didn't,'' Kidd said. ''Luca's prep work the past two days was at a high level. He has a great feel and there's a big trust that the other guys were going to make plays”.
Tomorrow's fixtures are:
- Pacers vs Lakers
- Magic vs Hornets
- Cavaliers vs Suns
- Celtics vs Nets
- Pelicans vs Wizards
- Rockets vs Bulls
- Timberwolves vs Heat
- Thunder vs Jazz
- Bucks vs Pistons
- Grizzlies vs Raptors
- Spurs vs Hawks
- Warriors vs 76ers
- Kings vs Trail Blazers