HOUSTON — Miles McBride’s reinjury wasn’t as scary as it looked.
After returning from a long absence Sunday and appearing to aggravate his surgically repaired groin area, the Knicks backup guard said he was just feeling discomfort from scar tissue breaking down.
He played again in Tuesday’s 111-94 loss to the Rockets and made it through 13 minutes unscathed, although his shooting rhythm clearly took a hit as he went 1-for-9 from the field.
“It’s tough having surgery in the middle of the season, especially on an area that’s so important to everything you do,” McBride said. “So it’s just going to be a learning process. I’m going to figure it out, though.”
McBride, who missed 28 straight games after undergoing sports hernia surgery in early February, shot 0-for-3 in his first game back Sunday.
In that game, McBride limped to the locker room in the third quarter after chasing a loose ball and falling on OKC’s Lu Dort.
But McBride said he started feeling pain on the previous play while defending a Thunder player. Luckily, it was just scar tissue breaking down. He didn’t even need another MRI exam before returning to play in Houston.
“Scar tissue is built up because it tightens everything. And now it’s getting more elastic, stretching out,” McBride said. “I came down [defending a Thunder player], tried to switch gears, and the scar tissue is ripping and getting better.
“Surgery is going to cause pain,” he added. “I’m not sure when it’s going to fully subside. So whatever I can do to help the team win.”
Miles McBride looks to make a move on Reed Sheppard during the Knicks’ 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Next, McBride’s shot needs rebuilding.
“Honestly, I haven’t played in two months, and it was kind of a longer process of being able to get on the court and really do a lot at a high intensity,” he said. “And the last two weeks is when I really take the high intensity up, and even then you’re still dealing with so much. So it’s going to take time.”
This time, Amar’e followed Melo.
A year after his former Knicks teammate was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, Amar’e Stoudemire was named a somewhat surprising member of the 2026 class, according to ESPN.
Stoudemire earned most of his accolades with the Phoenix Suns as a pick-and-roll partner with Steve Nash but also produced an All-Star campaign with the Knicks after signing as a free agent in 2010.
He and Carmelo Anthony, who headlined the 2025 Hall of Fame class, were pitched as pillars to a championship contender, but Stoudemire’s career in NYC was quickly sabotaged by injuries.
The Knicks ultimately underwhelmed during his tenure with just one playoff series victory.
In 14 NBA seasons, Stoudemire collected Rookie of the Year, five All-NBA selections and six All-Star appearances.
He was also inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame after converting to Judaism in 2020.
Landry Shamet missed his fifth straight game Tuesday because of a knee contusion, but he’s taking contact and practicing fully, according to coach Mike Brown.
A source said Shamet could return as early as Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies.
PHOENIX (AP) — Jose Fernandez hit two home runs, including the go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning, in his MLB debut and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Detroit Tigers 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Fernandez finished 3 for 4 with an infield single for the first of his career in the second and a solo home run in the fourth.
James McCann hit a double along the third baseline and Jordan Lawlar singled before the Tigers swapped out relief pitcher Drew Anderson for Will Vest (0-1). Vest walked Ketel Marte to load the bases and Corbin Carroll hit a double to the wall in center field, sending two home.
Vest walked the next batter and Marte scored on a groundout before Kenley Jensen replaced Vest with runners at the corners. Fernandez hit a 409-foot shot that capped the scoring.
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt allowed five runs in six innings. Andrew Hoffmann (1-0) pitching two scoreless innings before Paul Sewald struck out the side in the ninth and earned his second save of the year.
Detroit had all of its six hits in the Tigers' five-run third. Riley Greene hit a two-run double, and Kevin McGonigle, Kerry Carpenter and Jake Rogers each added an RBI.
Up next
Detroit's Tarik Skubal (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts opposite Zac Gallen (0-1, 9.00) in the series finale Wednesday.
Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, March 8, 2026 - Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) celebrates with teammate guard Austin Reeves (15) after hitting a three pointer late in the game against the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
While the Lakers are zooming into the playoffs on a high, the offseason will present a whole new set of questions for them to address.
A roster full of players set to enter free agency is some form or fashion will create the need for lots of decisions. Some of them are simple, like bringing back Austin Reaves, and others are out of their control, like where LeBron James wants to finish his career or what Deandre Ayton or Marcus Smart do with their options.
But there are still plenty of players the Lakers will have to make a decision on, including a number of key contributors like Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard. Both are set for unrestricted free agency and, with lots of cap space, both could be brought back fairly easily.
In an article on Monday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on a number of free agents the Lakers are interested in retaining this offseason.
The Lakers aren’t expected to take that $50 million and give it to another star instead of James. They have interest in re-signing Reaves, Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard, team sources told ESPN, not to mention Hachimura, if the price is right. Reaves will decline a $14.9 million player option and enter unrestricted free agency, sources familiar with his plans told ESPN.
However, after that, it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold.
Hayes has found success this season and in general alongside Luka Dončić. On a minimum deal, he provides solid value. But, given how much success he’s had this year, has he played so well that he’ll earn more than the minimum next season? And if so, are the Lakers still interested in bringing him back?
Kennard has been a terrific addition to the team since the trade deadline, filling the need for shooting and a secondary ballhandler in many lineups. It feels unlikely he’d make more than the $11 million he made this year and feels possible he’d make less even. If that’s the case, it would make a lot of sense for LA to re-sign him.
Hachimura will be an interesting one. In LA, he’s developed into a sharpshooter and has value as a wing with size and shooting. The price point feels like the biggest factor in whether he comes back, as McMenamin noted.
All of the moving parts of this offseason will make this hard to predict. But the Lakers are going to have a lot of decisions to make.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor Ingram celebrated his 29th birthday Tuesday by making 27 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Seattle Kraken 3-0.
Max Jones, Kasperi Kapanen and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers who have won six of their last eight.
Edmonton moved two points back of Pacific Division-leading Anaheim and three points up on third place Vegas. The Oilers are now 28-5-5 when scoring first this season.
The Kraken have lost six of their last seven and remain two points out of a wild-card playoff position.
Philipp Grubauer made 21 stops for Seattle.
Bobby McMann, who leads Seattle in goals and points since coming over in a deadline trade with Toronto — seven goals, four assists in eight games — had his goal scoring streak stopped at three games. He had a chance to match the second-longest goal streak in franchise history.
McDavid extended his goal streak to five games. He leads the NHL in goals since Dec. 1 with 32. The Oilers captain in now one point back of Dale Hawerchuk for the third-most points by a player before age 30. Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are first and second on that lofty list.
Edmonton has been a regular pest for Seattle, as no team has recorded more victories over the Kraken than the Oilers. Edmonton came into the contest with a 14-4-0 record all-time against Seattle including going 7-1-0 at home and had outscored them 76-50.
"I just think we're not going in the right direction," Hart said. "We're not trending upwards. So, we've got to figure it out. It was three tough ones. We've got another one tomorrow. That's a must-win for us, and build from there."
The Knicks trailed 14-1 in Tuesday's opening three minutes and entered the second quarter down 37-21.
"That effort, the attention to detail, the discipline was pretty embarrassing," Hart said. "So, we've got to figure it out, make sure we're all locked in mentally to get where we want to go and, like I said, build on that."
Unlike Sunday's game against OKC, which improved to a league-leading 60-16 with a 114-110 overtime win over the Eastern Conference-best Detroit Pistons, Tuesday in Houston saw the Knicks lack a fight, according to Mike Brown, who said that he was "frustrated with that part."
"I think the togetherness is there," Brown said. "Now, like any other team -- throughout the course of the season, sometimes you feel like it's not there, sometimes you don't. But if I'm talking overall, yes, I do. But tonight, it wasn't -- especially in the pick and roll. And there are isolated times where it feels like you're not on a string defensively and/or offensively, and tonight was definitely one of 'em -- especially on the defensive end of the floor."
After Wednesday's game in Memphis against the Grizzlies (25-50), the Knicks return to MSG for Friday's 7:30 p.m. tipoff with the Chicago Bulls.
"The last few games, we haven't had it," Brown said. "And teams go through stretches like that. We've got (six) more games to try to find it."
Draymond Green (23) defends against Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Let’s talk about what’s happening Wednesday night, Dub Nation. The San Antonio Spurs are coming to town. Yes, those SpursL winners of nine straight, holding the second best record in the Western Conference, operating with the terrifying efficiency of a franchise that spent a decade in the wilderness. They roll into Chase Center while the Warriors are running a MASH unit masquerading as an NBA roster.
San Antonio Spurs (57-18) at Golden State Warriors (36-39)
When: April 1, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco
TV: ESPN | Radio: 95.7 The Game
Deep breath before I rattle off these depressing injury reports…..Stephen Curry is out with a knee injury. Jimmy Butler is watching from a couch somewhere with a surgically repaired ACL. Moses Moody just got diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon. Al Horford’s soleus strain has him re-evaluating week to week. Will Richard and Quinten Post are both day-to-day.
Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama is out here dropping 41-piece performances against the Bulls, recording the fastest double-double in NBA history, and using these final regular season games as a personal finishing school before the playoffs arrive. He’s averaging 24.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.07 blocks this season. He has De’Aaron Fox running point beside him now, and Fox is dishing 7.2 assists per game. The Spurs are 27-11 on the road. This is a machine that is fully assembled and warming up its engines.
The Warriors beat Wembanyama twice in November with Curry going completely supernova for 49 and 46 points in back-to-back outings. Those were different Warriors. Wembanyama returned the favor in February, as the Spurs pulled away late 126-113. He knows what this building feels like now.
This game is a measuring stick held up against a franchise that is about to remind the entire Western Conference exactly where the bar has been set. The play-in is still the mission for Golden State. Surviving to fight another day is the only thing that matters right now.
Tonight is just a reminder of how far the road ahead actually goes.
CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Connor scored 33 seconds into overtime to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Josh Morrissey, Isak Rosen and Cole Perfetti also scored, and Mark Scheifele added three assists for the Jets, who were coming off a 4-2 win over the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice and Anton Frondell also scored for Chicago, which has lost four in a row.
Bertuzzi’s wrist shot 9:46 into the third period sent the game to overtime.
Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves in the win for the Jets. Spencer Knight made 20 saves for the Blackhawks.
The Jets won 66.7% of the faceoffs in the game.
Up next
Jets: Visit Dallas on Thursday.
Blackhawks: Start their final road trip of the season at Edmonton on Thursday.
The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
With the Suns losing to the Magic in Orlando on Tuesday, the Lakers officially claimed the top spot in their division.
The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers entered Tuesday with a 49-26 record with six games left in the season after Tuesday, while the Suns fell to 42-34. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers made the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 2005-13.
LeBron James was available on Tuesday against the Cavaliers after entering the day as questionable because of left foot injury management.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jalen Suggs added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Orlando Magic held off the Phoenix Suns 115-111 Tuesday night.
Devin Booker’s 34 points for Phoenix included a 3-pointer that brought the Suns to within two points with 3.1 seconds left. But Tristan da Silva’s two free throws clinched Orlando’s second win in nine games.
Suns forward Dillon Brooks, playing for the first time since breaking his hand in a game against Orlando on Feb. 21, had nine points and five rebounds in 22 foul-plagued minutes. Brooks was called for a technical foul just 89 seconds into the game and was one of 10 players to finish the game with four or more personal fouls.
Paolo Banchero had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who survived 25 turnovers after committing 28 in Sunday’s 139-87 loss at Toronto. Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
HORNETS 117, NETS 86
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points, Miles Bridges had 19, and Charlotte routed Brooklyn.
Moussa Diabaté finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds while LaMelo Ball had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Hornets (40-36) stop a two-game losing streak.
Josh Minott scored 14 points for the lottery-bound Nets (18-58), who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Charlotte (40-36) is tied with the Miami Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Orlando.
BUCKS 123, MAVERICKS 99
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and Milwaukee beat Dallas to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
PISTONS 127, RAPTORS 116
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 31 points and nine rebounds as Detroit defeated Toronto to clinch the Central Division title.
Duren is averaging 23.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in seven games since Cade Cunningham sustained a lung injury on March 17 in 130-117 win over Washington. The Pistons are 6-2 without their star, including a 114-110 overtime loss in Oklahoma City on Monday - a game Duren sat out.
Daniss Jenkins scored 21 for the Pistons, who have won seven of nine, and Duncan Robinson added 19 points. Detroit won its first division title since 2007-08.
RJ Barrett had 24 points for Toronto, who had won six of nine, including a 119-108 home win over the Pistons on March 15. Brandon Ingram added 22 points.
ROCKETS 111, KNICKS 94
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 27 points and Houston took a huge lead early and rolled to a win over New York.
It’s a third straight win for the Rockets after they’d dropped two in a row. The victory comes after New York got a 108-106 win at home in the first meeting this season in February.
The Rockets never trailed and led by double digits for most of the game after scoring 37 points in the first quarter. They were up 20 entering the fourth quarter and were leading by 19 with about two minutes to go when both teams cleared their benches.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a third consecutive game after winning their previous seven. Each of their three losses have been by double digits.
Tari Eason started over Reed Sheppard and had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks' 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston.
HOUSTON — It has reached that point in the Knicks season, better late than never.
After another ugly 111-94 defeat Tuesday night to the Rockets, the next game Wednesday night in Memphis, according to Josh Hart, is a “must-win.”
The veteran forward has seen enough and sounded the alarm.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks’ 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“We’re obviously struggling right now to win games. Struggling to start games off. Struggling to focus on the attention to detail. Struggling to get outside of ourselves and focus on what the betterment of the team is,” Hart said. “So [Wednesday] we have to play with a sense of desperation. Sense of being willing to sacrifice. To win.”
Of course, it should be easier to beat the injury-ravaged and tanking Grizzlies. But nothing should be taken for granted these days for the Knicks, not with the way they’ve been playing lately.
They arrived in Houston on Tuesday with something to prove. Then they proved nothing. Just more of the same. Worse, actually.
Coach Mike Brown’s squad has now gone 25 days without beating a team with a winning record, continuing that streak with the loss to the Rockets.
They again looked flustered offensively and a step slow defensively. They’re certainly not carrying the look of a title contender.
And now they are looking at the Grizzlies game as an important building block.
“We’re not going in the right direction,” Hart said. “We’re not trending upwards. So we got to figure it out. Three tough [losses in a row]. Got another one tomorrow. That’s a must-win for us. And build from there.”
Jalen Brunson was woeful while flustered by Houston’s swarming defense, managing just 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting with three turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns was better but not by much, shooting 7-for-17 for 22 points.
Jalen Brunson, who was held to 12 points, makes a pass as Amen Thompson defends. Getty Images
Overall, the Knicks shot just 10-for-34 from 3-point range — bricking several wide-open looks, most commonly from Hart and Miles McBride.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (46-29) carved up New York’s defense with precision, getting 27 points from old man Kevin Durant while shooting 54 percent overall and 43 percent from deep.
“They did whatever they wanted,” Brunson said.
The Knicks (48-28) were never in the fight. They lost every statistical battle — points, rebounds, turnovers, assists. They trailed for the final 47 minutes and by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter. They have dropped three straight overall and five consecutive against winning teams.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 22 points, drives on Alperen Sengun. Getty Images
In the big picture, New York is still third in the East but dangerously close to falling into fourth, leaving Toyota Center just a half-game above the Cavaliers — who played a late game Tuesday night against the Lakers. It’s getting precarious with the playoffs creeping closer.
“Regardless of being veterans or not, we got to turn the page and do something about it,” Brunson said. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the league or not.”
The Knicks should still beat the Grizzlies (25-50), even in a back-to-back, but don’t stand a chance in the playoffs if they’re playing like they did last week. Some of the Rockets debacle was predictable. Coach Brown’s team has had problems dealing with long and athletic defenses. It stalls Brunson’s offense, and that happened again Tuesday.
The start was a disaster class for the Knicks.
They trailed 12-1 after three minutes, then 22-5 after five minutes. They were wilting under Houston’s intense defense, failing to generate good opportunities while missing six of their first seven 3-point attempts.
On the other end, the Knicks were slow to rotate and allowed Durant open jumpers — about as efficient an attempt as it gets in the NBA. Brown burned two timeouts in the opening seven minutes. They trailed the Rockets 37-21 after the first quarter.
“To start the game, we were poor defensively,” Brown said. “They didn’t feel us at all, especially in the pick-and-roll game. Against KD, we went under two to three times early. He’s hot, we’re not supposed to go under, and he knocked down shots. We didn’t make shots going the other way. That’s what it comes down to.”
The Knicks settled down a little bit to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to four, largely because of Jose Alvarado’s injection of energy and shotmaking. But the recovery was short-lived.
The Knicks were soon down by 19 and went into the break with a 63-50 deficit. It was over, and the conclusion was deflating.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-99 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
Cooper Flagg, who entered averaging 22.5 points over his last nine games, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season for Dallas (24-52). Brandon Williams scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, and John Poulakidas scored a season-high 11.
Dallas starter Daniel Gafford left the game with just under three minutes left in the third after appearing to injure his right elbow attempting to block a Rollins dunk. Williams and Dwight Powell started the second half in place of Gafford and Ryan Nembhard.
The Mavericks have lost their last four trips to Milwaukee and five of the last six.
The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 25, but was postponed when the Mavericks could not get out of Dallas because of a snowstorm.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Toyota Center on March 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Knicks (48*-28) came into this evening having lost two straight on the road. They hold the tiebreaker with Cleveland, but another loss would put the Cavs within a half-game of third place in the East. Tonight’s opponent, the Rockets (46-29), had split the last ten games on their schedule, but they’re a tall, lanky team that rates in the top ten for both offense and defense. A difficult match-up was in store for New York, for sure. Getting outshot 42% to 29% from deep, they lost this one nearly wire-to-wire to the clearly hungrier Houston, 111-94.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka started Tari Eason (17 PTS, 8 RBS, 2 STL), making Amen Thompson (17 PTS, 8 AST, 2 BLK) their smallest starter at 6’7”. Seemed effective. The Knicks missed their first five shots, Kevin Durant (27 PTS, 8 AST, 10-18 FG) scored 10 off the bat, and the home team went up 14-1 with almost four minutes gone. Soon after, Eason dunked the third Knicks turnover for a 22-5 advantage. Houston feasted from all over, missing only two of their first 14 shots, including five three-pointers. That’ll ding your defensive rating. New York hurled bricks from the perimeter, but managed a few mid-range buckets. Still, coach Mike Brown needed another timeout with under five minutes remaining and his team trailing by 17.
Kevin Durant all smiles and being embraced by his Rockets teammates.
Out of the break, Miles McBride (3 PTS, 1-9 FG), Jordan Clarkson (10 PTS), and Mitchell Robinson replaced Mikal Bridges (7 PTS, 3-4 FG, 34 MIN), OG Anunoby (8 PTS, 3-9 FG, 38 MIN), and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 8 RBS). The reserves played better than the starters, at least. Mitch (5 PTS, 5 RBS, -14, 16 MIN) had a couple of moments, but H-Town was dishing and swishing, logging an assist on 12 of their 15 makes. By the break, they were ahead 37-21. New York had won the boards by +3, but had shot 1-of-7 from deep (compared to Houston’s 6-9).
Jose Alvarado (12 PTS, 12 MIN, 5-6 FG) assumed playmaker duties in the second quarter and drilled his first shot from deep. That ignited a 7-0 run in under two minutes that included buckets from Clarkson and Anunoby and forced Udoka to call for time. Still rolling, Alvarado’s second triple, two free throws from Towns, and a Clarkson layup cut the deficit to four. This sure seemed like Jose’s best performance since his explosion in Philadelphia, which feels like months ago.
The momentum? Short-lived. In a blink, buckets by Jabari Smith, Jr. (15 PTS) and Eason pushed the differential to 10. Then, after a timeout, Reed Sheppard (20 PTS, 4-7 3PT, 2 STL) stepped out of the pages of Highlights for Children to register a three, a 16-footer, and a pick-six. A Durant dunk put the Rockets up by 16. Jalen Brunson (12 PTS, 5-14 FG, -26) tried hard to score among the trees, to mixed results (he had a -19 plus-minus at intermission), but his compatriots offered little assistance. OG missed his first five attempts from beyond the arc, but mercifully laced a timely buzzer-beater from the corner for a 63-50 halftime score.
The hosts had simply shot and distributed the ball better. Through the half, they had outshot the Knicks from the field (59%-45%) and downtown (45%-32%). Houston had 19 assists on 24 makes, won the paint by four, and had the edge in transition (13–7 fast break points). For our heroes, the starters combined for 28 points, and Alvarado led the stats with eight points. That marked the second time this season that the Knicks didn’t have a double-digit scorer in the first half. For the villains, Durant already had 18.
To start the second half, New York chipped their deficit to eight, but it seemed like one step forward, two steps back all night. Every positive stretch ended with a self-inflicted obstacle (turnovers, one-and-dones), followed by multiple buckets surrendered. By the middle of the quarter, 16 points separated the competitors again. At least McBride blocked Durant—’twas a fun moment in a game that sorely lacked them.
At the three-minute mark, Brunson made his first trey of the tilt, reducing the hole to 12. Yet again, Durant hit a floater, Sheppard picked Deuce’s pocket and made a three-pointer, and McBride committed an offensive foul. The tides receded and the Rockets had dropped seven unanswered points. When Smith knocked down a 24-footer at the buzzer, the Knicks were behind 92-72. Biggest deficit of the night.
When these two met in February, New York limited Houston to 15 fourth-quarter points and stole the win. Could they repeat that feat under the stars of Texas? Alvarado briefly had such a notion, drawing an offensive foul on Alperen Şengün (13 PTS, 10 AST) that banged up his hip and then running through the pain for a reverse layup. Unfortunately, stops continued to elude the visitors. Sheppard scored, Thompson scored. Eason picked KAT’s pocket and then scored his 17th point of the night.
Desperate for offense, Brown subbed Brunson in at the eight-minute mark. Since Alvarado was the only Knick with the touch, the coach let the two small guards run together. Jose rewarded him by drawing another offensive foul, giving us a momentary glimmer of hope. From there, the clubs mostly traded buckets and misses. With about two minutes left and down by 19, the coaches subbed in all their reserves and a white flag was waving high above the visitors’ bench. On a positive note, Tyler Kolek immediately brought energy and excellent passing, tossing up a perfect alley-oop for Jeremy Sochan. Makes one wonder if he might have provided a necessary spark earlier in the contest.
Up Next
Six games left. I believe that Master Miranda is on deck with a recap. As for the Knicks, they play tomorrow night in Memphis. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
The Knicks dropped their third consecutive game after a 111-94 loss to Houston, their defense struggling to contain a barrage of threes. The Rockets made 15 of 35 tries from deep, taking an early lead and answering every New York run that followed.
Takeaways
-- Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for his squad with 22 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-17 shooting. Jalen Brunson had 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 5 of 14 shooting.
-- Josh Hart scored 13, followed by Jose Alvarado's 12 and Jordan Clarkson's 10.
-- Kevin Durant was scorching, scoring 27 points, grabbing six boards and dishing eight assists while shooting 10 of 18 from the field. Reed Sheppard added 20 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three off the bench while every Houston starter finished in double digits: Amen Thompson and Tari Eason (17 each), Jabari Smith Jr. (15) and Alperen Sengun (13).
-- The Rockets exploded out of the gates behind a flurry of vintage Durant jumpers with the Knicks right in his grill. He had 10 points in three minutes to propel Houston to a 14-1 start, and some sloppy New York turnovers didn’t help.
-- Hart steadied the ship with a pull-up middie and three, taking advantage of Sengun guarding him. But Eason fired back with a couple of threes and a tip-in for his own double-digit spurt, as Houston closed the first quarter up 37-21.
-- New York’s bench started the second on a 14-2 run, led by Alvarado and Clarkson. The two combined for 14 points in under five minutes to swiftly cut the deficit to a couple of possessions.
-- Miles McBride’s second return game went about as well as his first, shooting 1 of 7 with a turnover in his first-half minutes. The Rockets capitalized, jumping ahead in the second quarter via a 20-5 run to go into the half up 63-50.
-- Towns started to get rolling early in the third, drawing fouls, driving hard and nailing his first three. But the Rockets always had an answer, and Durant just kept sniping away.
-- New York failed to kick up its offense or get stops in the halfcourt to create easy opportunities. Houston continually punished them in transition, maintaining a 92-72 advantage after three quarters.
-- Both teams traded buckets to start the final frame, with Towns continuing his tear but the Rockets hitting timely three after timely three. The Knicks failed to even mount a comeback in the final 12 minutes as their opponents coasted to victory.
The Brooklyn Nets took on the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night at Barclays Center, the second game of a six-game homestand, the last one of the 2025-26 season.
The Hornets had won 22 of 30 games entering Tuesday, and they had a blast making it 23 of 31. LaMelo Ball played to an adoring crowd by throwing no-look passes and shooting increasingly harebrained 3-pointers with even more nonchalance than he usually does. Brandon Miller hit a three off a pass from Ball to make it 16-4 Hornets just five minutes into the game, and the two laughed the whole way back down the court.
The travel is relentless, only compounding the physical toll of an 82-game season. There are unsettling locker-room dynamics, contract disputes, and the perennial threat of a trade to an undesirable place, not to mention the landfill of public opinion, often amounting to verbal abuse, that players have to deal with. In the player-podcast era, fans are hyper-aware of the cons of an NBA career, blessed the job may be.
But on Tuesday night, it was heaven for the Hornets. They kicked ass, they had fun, and one of the most remarkable seasons in franchise history kept rolling right along. It inspires tremendous envy.
The Nets never had a shot in this one. They shot 20% from three and could not keep the visitors off the glass, surrendering a whopping 29 second-chance points, scoring only nine themselves. Nobody played extremely well, though the bench unit kept it reasonably close in the second quarter — a familiar story — the only frame Brooklyn won.
Said Fernández: “They were focused on playing the right way, also understanding how they’re defending certain actions, what the impact of the game was.”
Fernández is likely referencing the team’s defense on Rookie of the Year Kon Knueppel, who scored just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. Knueppel was due for an off night eventually, but his frequent screening/slipping for Ball and others went nowhere on Tuesday, with the Nets at the very least locked in on switching those actions. Knueppel over the past three games is 4-of-19 from deep.
As for the reserves, Josh Minott scored 14 to lead all Nets, and Chaney Johnson added 11 points. They combined to shoot 2-of-10 from deep, but once again, their athleticism stood out compared to most of their teammates…
here's something, at least
Josh Minott now shooting 61.5% from two this season after a slick inside-hand finish here. obviously not much self-creation but have seen some impressive finishes in BKN: pic.twitter.com/OpXtvsQFHL
We’re really grasping at straws here, of course, as the clock mercifully ticks down on Brooklyn’s season. Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf combined for seven assists and seven turnovers on Tuesday night, though Drake Powell did score ten points on nine shots, marking his second consecutive game in double-digits. He’s now done that three times this season. Progress! Maybe?
It marked Brooklyn’s 8th loss by at least 30 points this season. The previous record for a Nets season was five such losses, which they did in both 1988 and 1989. Now that the two-season tank is nearly complete, let’s hope it’s another 37 years before they top that record. They might not set the world on fire next season, but it should be a little more watchable.
“I mean, we’re young, man. We got 19 year olds starting and playing against ten-year vets, so it’s not going to be easy. But, you know, it’s all part of the process, and hopefully a year from now, two years from now, we can look back and laugh these hard days and losing streaks, and just thank thank God for that adversity. Because at the end of the day, it’s gonna you stronger.” — Ziaire Williams
For now, a tanking we will go. With no other of the bottom five teams playing, the loss moved the Nets up to within a half game of the Wizards and Pacers who lead the tanking five. It’s the closest Brooklyn has been to the top spot all season. So there’s that.
Final Score: Charlotte Hornets 117, Brooklyn Nets 86
Day’Ron joins YES Network booth
In the third quarter, Day’Ron Sharpe joined Chris Carrino and Sarah Kustok in the YES Network booth, dropping a curse word in the very first sentence! Gotta love Day’Ron, man.
He talked through his offensive rebounding philosophy, his relationship with Nic Claxton, and rehabbing his torn thumb ligament: “I feel pretty good man, pretty good. Rehab is going smooth, can’t wait to get back on the court full-time.”
Those with a Gotham Sports subscription can find the whole segment here.
Injury Report
Terance Mann missed the game with left achilles soreness, a designation that kept him out of a March 16 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but no other games. Michael Porter Jr. and his strained left hamstring have not yet been re-evaluated, though the Nets are expected to provide an update on him in the next week or so.
Danny Wolf missed his fifth straight game after spraining his ankle in a road loss to the Sacramento Kings. Pregame, Jordi Fernández said the 21-year-old rookie is still in a walking boot, and the team does not yet have an update on his return timeline.
Next Up
<p>Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
The Nets host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for the usual 7:30 p.m. ET.
