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Erik Karlsson’s Confidence Continues To Help Guide The Penguins

Before Rickard Rakell tied Sunday's game with 12.8 seconds left between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, there was an underrated play made at the blue line by Erik Karlsson. 

The Penguins were moving the puck around with authority during the 6-on-5 when Kris Letang dished the puck back to the point. The puck had serious juice and was in danger of leaving the offensive zone, but Karlsson controlled it, getting it to Sidney Crosby. Crosby then passed the puck to Anthony Mantha, who found Rakell open in front for the tying goal. 

I bring that play from Karlsson up because had he not made it, the Penguins would've lost in regulation and had their four-game winning streak snapped. Karlsson then got the primary assist on Crosby's game-winner, finding him fresh off the bench in the offensive zone before Crosby made no mistake with a vintage backhand move on a breakaway. Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves had no chance on that deke. 

Those two plays capped off Karlsson's best performance of the season in a Penguins uniform, which is saying something, given that he has been marvelous all season. He played 18:34 at 5v5 and was on the ice for 67.5% of the shot attempts, 57.4% of the expected goals, and 57.1% of the scoring chances.

He was driving offense each time he was out there, and there was even a sequence earlier in the game (before Rakell's tying goal) when he took a pass from Parker Wotherspoon, his defensive partner, and deked right around Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner before firing a shot off the post. He then kept the play alive in the offensive zone before the Penguins got two more quality looks. The second look came from Crosby, who looked to have a sure goal, but was denied. 

Ever since the Christmas break, Karlsson has five points in five games, including a two-assist performance against the Detroit Red Wings last Thursday. One of those assists came on Blake Lizotte's goal late in the third period that looked like it was going to be the game-winner before the Red Wings tied it on the power play. It came off a fortunate bounce, but Karlsson still showcased a shoot-first mentality from the point. 

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates with defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) after scoring the game-winning goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the overtime period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Karlsson has all the confidence in the world right now, and part of it is because head coach Dan Muse is putting him in the best position to succeed. He plays with a stable partner in Wotherspoon and has been positionally sound. He's not being overly aggressive with his pinching.

He's been running the show at the point on the power play all year, which ranks second in the NHL at 29.7%. 12 of his 31 points have come on the PP. 

Heck, Karlsson has also been a staple on the penalty kill all year long and has done a pretty solid job at getting to loose pucks and forcing clears. He’s already logged 92:40 on the penalty kill this season, more than his last two seasons combined on that unit. He played a good bit on the PK in Ottawa and in San Jose, so it's been nice seeing Muse utilize that element of Karlsson's game. 

Takeaways: Penguins Roar Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Blue Jackets In OTTakeaways: Penguins Roar Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Blue Jackets In OTThe Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to five games in dramatic fashion against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which is just another indication that this team may be better than anyone thought.

If he keeps this up, there's a legit chance the Penguins could find their way into the playoffs, which still feels a little crazy to write, given the team's low expectations heading into the season. However, that's why you play the games, and right now, the Penguins are on a 98-point pace heading into the second half of the season.

They're in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but are only one point back of the New York Islanders for second in the Metropolitan Division. They still have a lot of divisional games upcoming, which could be good for them since they're already 7-1-3 against the Metro this year after going 9-13-4 against the division last year.

Karlsson has silenced all of his doubters this year, and without him playing at this level, the Penguins wouldn't be in the position that they're in. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick).

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James Dolan's NBA Finals expectations being tested after Knicks' fourth straight defeat

Owner James Dolan said on Monday evening that the Knicks – as constituted – can win an NBA championship.

You think he changed his opinion a few hours later?

The Knicks were blown out by the Pistons on Monday night in arguably their worst loss of the season.

Detroit – the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference – was down two starters and playing the second game of a back-to-back, but led the visiting Knicks by double-digits for most of the game.

New York has now lost four straight – its longest losing streak since Dec. 2022.

Are they a competent team in the middle of a rough stretch of the schedule? Oklahoma City lost to Charlotte by 27 points at home on Monday; the defending champs are 6-6 in their last 12 games.

Good teams hit rough patches in an 82-game schedule. That could be the case for the Knicks. Or they could be showing the fatal flaws – bad point of attack/perimeter defense – of a team that will fail to meet expectations. 

Dolan said earlier in the day in an interview on WFAN’s The Carton Show that anything less than an NBA Finals appearance will be a disappointment.

“We want to get to The Finals, and we should win The Finals,” Dolan told Craig Carton and his co-host, Chris McMonigle. “This is sports…anything can happen in sports. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely gotta do. Winning the Finals, we should win.”

The Knicks haven’t looked like a Finals team lately. They’ve trailed by at least 19 points in the third quarter of their last three losses. The poor stretch coincides with an injury to Josh Hart. The Knicks are 2-4 since Hart suffered an ankle injury. Fortunately, Hart is on the verge of returning from that injury. The Knicks could have both Hart and Landry Shamet back by the end of the week. Maybe both of those players can help stop the Knicks’ slide.

Dolan said in the WFAN interview that he doesn’t expect New York to make a significant trade at the deadline.

“We love our team right now. They have chemistry; they all like each other. I’ve never seen a locker room more copacetic. There’s a lot of energy in there,” Dolan said. “I don’t – (team president) Leon (Rose) could always overrule me – but I don’t see us making a big change. Because we don’t have – we’ve got to keep building up this group. This group can win a championship. I believe that.”

Dolan was answering a question from the hosts about the Knicks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He said he wasn’t aware of any trade talks between the Knicks and Bucks in the offseason. Later in the interview, he reiterated that he didn’t see the Knicks making any big changes before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. 

“That’s what I think our plan is, yes … I talk to Leon every day and look, nothing is impossible; I won’t rule anything out, but who do you want to lose (in a trade)?” Dolan said. “You don’t get something without giving something. Who do you want to lose?”

Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The owner was also asked about the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau in the offseason and hire Mike Brown to replace him.

“The team is really built on the shoulders of Tom Thibodeau. He built that core," Dolan said. "We went as far as we did last year, so you really have to take your hat off to Tom and the job that he did. But we did come to the conclusion that we had an idea of how we wanted to organize the team – actually, it goes for both teams – and that meant we needed to evolve, actually, beyond the old traditional coaching formulas. 

"We tried to work that with Tom, it wasn’t really his thing." 

It was suggested to Dolan that Thibodeau didn’t use his bench players often enough.

“No, that’s some of it. But it’s much more about style of leadership, collaboration versus (working alone),” Dolan said. “… because of the way, particularly basketball, but also hockey too – the way the sport’s evolving, how much more complicated it is – we’re very, very big on development in both clubs.

“Because you can’t – it’s not like the old days where you can get Reggie Jackson and this guy and this guy and put together a team. It’s almost impossible to do that in the NBA. You have to home-grow some of your talent,” he added. “That also builds up trade currency, etcetera. But it’s a development thing. And that’s a team of people. There’s literally 20 people who are specifically dedicated to developing the players, to getting their skill level up, develop the strategy on the court.

“And that’s important for the development of a franchise. Tom liked development, but he didn’t really…”

Dolan didn’t finish his thought here, but he seemed to be saying Thibodeau’s approach with player development didn’t align with the organization.

At other times in the interview, Dolan was complimentary of Thibodeau, who led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons and coached them to their first conference final in 25 years.

“I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau. I don’t necessarily know that’s true. It’s just that, if you want to build a long-term, competitive (team)... you need somebody who is much more of a collaborator than Tom was," he said. "But still, Tom is still a great coach. He should coach again in the NBA. If I had a franchise that I was just starting with, etc., he would be a gold mine to get. And he was like that for us. 

"When we first started, and he first came in, he brought discipline, he brought strategy… he brought us all that way. But we really felt like we needed to make a change to go the rest of the way.”

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks wth guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks wth guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden / © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Did the Knicks make the right call with Thibodeau and Brown? The Knicks had a better record at this point in the season last year under Thibodeau. But Brown has played the bench more often, something Dolan thinks will pay dividends in the postseason.

“Look how far we got with our group last year, and then take a look at who was playing and who wasn’t playing and then we had injuries,” the owner said. “We’re going into this season, into the second half of the season, Josh is still out and Landry is coming back soon. We’ve got depth, and if we stay healthy, we’ll go into the playoffs in much better condition than we went into the playoffs last year.”

Dolan has owned the Knicks for nearly 30 years. Most years of the first two decades of his ownership were filled with disappointment and dysfunction. Rose and Thibodeau helped change all of that.

“As an owner, you have to be patient. When I get impatient, is when we veer off the plan, reach for the shiny thing. And think we can win a championship or build a championship team in one fell swoop,” he said. “I’ve been at this now for almost 30 years, and I can tell you that it does happen once in a while, but I don’t think that’s how we’re going to win.”

Dolan was also asked if he enjoys being an owner.

“Let me tell you something about ownership. Ownership is not an achievement. If you own something – you have a beautiful car – you own it, that’s not an achievement. If you built it, OK, then when you drive it around, you can feel like you have an achievement. I always want to try and achieve something,” he said.

If the owner and his top executives were right about Thibodeau, they will all be celebrating a great achievement this June. If not, the decision to jettison Thibodeau and hire Brown will be second-guessed by a fan base desperate for a championship.

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Hurricanes Acquire Former First-Rounder In Late Night Trade

It's safe to say that Eric Tulsky seemingly never sleeps.

The Carolina Hurricanes made a late-night trade Monday night, acquiring Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for future considerations (i.e. nothing).

The 27-year-old Finnish defenseman was a 2017 first-round selection by the Calgary Flames. Since then, he's played in 271 NHL games, registering 11 goals and 72 points.

He's currently playing in the AHL, where he's spent a bit of time, appearing in 59 games and registered seven goals and 35 points.

The American League is also where he'll start with Carolina as we was also assigned to the Chicago Wolves.

The 6-foot-2 Finn has played in just three AHL games this year, as he's working his way back from ACL surgery.

Valimaki has played alongside Mark Jankowski and Shaye Gostisbehere in  the NHL before and has also played alongside Sebastian Aho at the 2014-15 U18s and Hurricanes forward Juha Jaaska on the 2015-16 U18s.

In terms of underlying numbers, Valimaki has had decent results, controlling around a 50% share of scoring chances and expected goals.

His overall defensive impacts have been solid and he can potentially provide some much needed blueline depth for a team dealing with quite a few defensive injuries.

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The Finnish blueliner had a very productive year with the Arizona Coyotes just a couple of seasons ago in 2022-23, when he notched four goals and 34 points in 78 games along with having 98 blocks and 53 hits.

While 2023-24 was a down year production wise, he still was doing a lot away from the puck, but last year definitely saw a big drop-off for him.

Valimaki is in the final year of a two-year, $4 million deal and while he's down in the AHL, $850,000 of his contract is buried, meaning he'll carry just a $1.15 million cap hit for the Hurricanes.

It never hurts to have experienced defensive depth and that's seemingly the goal here for Carolina.

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Cheveldayoff, Jets Remain Status Quo Amid Tumultuous Season

The 2025-26 NHL season could not have started much worse for the Winnipeg Jets. From a lack of scoring to an injury to the league MVP, the Jets quickly fell behind.

Offseason signings continue to show their age and lack of speed. Youthful prospects remain buried in the minors. The coaching staff has rolled out the same lineup for the better part of the 40-game season thus far. 

"To this point, obviously, it's been very disappointing," Jets' general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said at his mid-season press conference on Monday. "Top to bottom, it starts with me... we need to find a way to be better."

Photo by James Carey Lauder/USA Today

Roughly halfway through the season (40 of 82 games played) things have actually shown signs of regression within the veteran executive's club.

Winnipeg is 15-21-4 on the year - good for 32nd place overall, three points clear of the 31st ranked Vancouver Canucks and four points behind Calgary. It is safe to say that most of western Canada is reeling as three of its four clubs make up the league's cellar dwellers. 

Edmonton, which lost in the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, is also not having a stellar 2025-26, as it sits 16th in the league, currently clinging to one of the final postseason spots in the Western Conference. 

But this is not about the Oilers, Canucks or Flames.

It is about the Winnipeg Jets, and how the team that finished first-place last year now owns the very worst record across the league - a feat that has never occurred since the league was made up of just six teams and key players left their teams for year-long stretches after being drafted to the Second World War.

“Certainly fans in our market are very, very passionate, and that is something we care deeply about,” Cheveldayoff added.

“Again, this isn’t something you plan out, and obviously sports are unpredictable. That’s the nature of the game here now. But from a fan’s perspective, we’re going to continue to look and work, and I feel their disappointment as much as they do. It is on my shoulders each and every day. You don’t just sit there last year and win a Presidents' Trophy and feel like, ‘OK, put your feet up, it’s all good.'"

Cheveldayoff made it clear that his team's lack of success was not player, management nor coach driven, but rather a combination of all three. 

But his staff and team appear safe, for the short term, at least.

“In a situation like this, all we can control right now is the next game in front of us," the henchman added. "I don’t think that group in there feels that they’re down and out of it. I think if you look at the way things have happened even with some other teams in the NHL this year, things can happen quickly the other way as well if you get on the right track.”

Winnipeg has lost nine-straight games and shows no sign of kicking its tail spin.

Logan Stanley is the team's fourth leading scorer.

Connor Hellebuyck is the only goaltender that can find a win between the pipes.

The only goal scoring offence comes from the team's top line. 

Prospects are stonewalled by slower veteran offseason signings. 

The timing for an early first round pick couldn't be better for the Jets - an organization that has had a very difficult time drafting and developing its prospects in recent years, something it prides itself on.

But according to Chevy, that's a make-work project that he understands has been a product of stronger teams in recent years. 

“We’ve traded a lot of draft picks. We’ve done a lot of that, and I think we’re paying a little bit of a price for that right now,” he said.

With no potential demotions or promotions in sight, the same group of Jets players now return home from a winless road trip for a five-game homestand.

The first test comes on Tuesday night against Vegas, before Edmonton, Los Angeles, New Jersey and New York roll into town for games at Canada Life Centre. The Jets will play nine of their next 11 games in their home rink - a critical stretch for the outlook of the franchise. 

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Easy money. Watch Kevin Durant knock down game-winning 3-pointer as Rockets beat Suns.

Sunday night, Devin Booker drained a game-winning 3-pointer with under a second left on the clock to upset the Thunder.

One night later, the tables were turned — Kevin Durant drained a game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Rockets past his former team, the Suns, 100-97.

Easy money.

The Suns were down seven with five minutes to go in the game, but went on a 10-0 run that gave them the lead with 2:12 left, and a chance. The game was tied, but Booker's shot with 5.1 on the clock missed, opening the door for Durant and the Rockets.

Booker had 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Durant finished with 26 points, while Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 17. The Rockets have won 5-of-6.

It wasn't all good news for the Rockets, coach Ime Udoka said Alperen Sengun suffered a sprained right ankle and will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days.

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Carr and Kohler help No. 12 Michigan State rout USC, 80-51

Coen Carr scored 18 points and Jaxon Kohler added 16 on perfect shooting to lead No. 12 Michigan State to an 80-51 blowout against Southern California on Monday night. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 15 points and seven assists for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who took control with a 27-6 run early in the game and led by at least 20 for much of the second half. Kohler made all six of his field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-pointers, and sank his only free throw.

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Red Wings Pick Up 5-3 Win Over Senators Despite Being Heavily Outshot

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The Detroit Red Wings wanted to get the bad taste of Saturday's 4-1 setback against the Pittsburgh Penguins in which they managed only 12 shots on goal out of their mouths. 

They managed to do so on Monday evening against the Ottawa Senators, and while they won't like that they were outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin, two points is two points.

The Red Wings built up a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes of play, and then held off a rally attempt by the Senators en route to a 5-3 victory at Canadian Tire Centre.

In doing so, they leapfrogged the idle Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes to reclaim the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Detroit caught a break early on in the contest when, while trailing the shot totals 9-0, a would-be goal by the Senators was waived off for offside. Not long afterward, they would tally three goals of their own thanks to Andrew Copp, Dylan Larkin (PP), and James van Riemsdyk. 

The Senators managed to make things interesting in the the second period with tallies from Claude Giroux and Dylan Cozens, only to have the Red Wings respond courtesy of Lucas Raymond, scoring his first even-strength goal since late November. 

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Ottawa once again made Detroit sweat in the third period with a goal from Brady Tkachuk, which was followed by consecutive penalties on the part of the Red Wings.

But during what was a shorthanded situation after former Senator Jacob Bernard-Docker was called for slashing, Michael Rasmussen sniped home Detroit's fifth goal of the night on a two-on-one break; it was also Detroit's first shorthanded goal of the campaign. 

Just seconds later, the Senators appeared to once again cut the lead to one, but for the second time in the evening, a would-be goal was taken off the board; this time for goaltender interference. 

John Gibson was the story of the night for the Red Wings, making 35 saves. Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen was pulled after allowing three goals on just eight shots, while Hunter Shepard turned aside 10 of the 12 shots he faced in relief. 

The Red Wings will return home to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday evening at Little Caesars Arena. 

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Rangers let third-period lead slip, fall to Mammoth in OT, 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Durzi scored 1:06 into overtime and the Utah Mammoth beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Monday night for their second win in three games.

Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone scored for Utah, and Karel Vejmelka had 22 saves.

Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière scored goals, and Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad each had two assists for the Rangers, who lost for the fourth time in five games (1-2-2). Igor Shesterkin stopped all nine shots he faced before he left with an apparent injury with 7 minutes remaining in the first period. Jonathan Quick replaced him and finished with 14 saves.

In the extra period, Durzi scored from the right doorstep off a pinpoint pass from Nick Schmaltz through traffic from the left circle.

Carcone tied the score 2-2 at 6:15 of the third as he drove toward the net and scored past Quick just before sliding into the goalie and knocking the net off its moorings.

Lafrenière got the Rangers on the scoreboard first, redirecting a pass from Zibanejad in front for a power-play goal at 8:29 of the second period.

Guenther tied it 4:09 later, scoring on a rush as his first shot bounced off Quick’s pad but he put the rebound past the goalie for his 21st of the season.

Trocheck gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with their second power-play goal of the period as he redirected Artemi Panarin’s point shot past Vejmelka with 3:24 remaining.

Shesterkin appeared to injure his leg when bent awkwardly with his skate on the ice as he attempted to avoid contact with Mammoth forward JJ Peterka, who was on the edge of the crease. Peterka did not appear to make contact with Shesterkin, who lay down in the net in pain while he was attended to by a trainer and then helped off the ice.

Quick came on to make the first in-game goalie substitution in the Rangers’ 44 games this season.

Highlights

Up next

Mammoth: At Ottawa on Wednesday night.

Rangers: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

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Knicks flattened in 121-90 blowout loss to Pistons

The Knicks got their teeth kicked in throughout a 121-90 loss to the Detroit Pistons to extend their losing streak to four games.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York's lack of defense as of late persisted out of the gate against the top seed in the East, who entered the contest averaging 118.8 points per game, 11th-best in the league. Sure, Cade Cunningham made some shots (14 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first half), but it wasn't just Cunningham as the rest of the Pistons got involved early and often as well, shooting 63 percent from the field and 55 percent from deep as a team in the first 24 minutes.

-- Detroit's bench, led by players like Jaden Ivey and Daniss Jenkins, scored 22 points in the first half as they were helped out by Cunningham's excellent court vision and passing ability, which gave him seven assists at halftime. By contrast, the Knicks as a team had just nine assists at the break.

-- Regardless, New York shot the ball well in the first, going 54 percent from the field and 57 percent from downtown. A lot of that production came from Jalen Brunson, who had 17 points on 8-of-13 from the floor. The point guard actually scored eight of his team's first 11 points, though the Knicks were down for the majority of that run.

Still, possessing the ball so often led to three turnovers before the break by Brunson, and he was a minus-6 on the court entering the second half.

-- Like the Pistons, though, the Knicks got some key contributions off their bench, most notably from Miles McBride, who had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in the first half while going 2-for-2 from three. The sharpshooter made three more threes in the second half to go 5-for-6 and finished with 17 points. He's been on fire from beyond the arc lately, making 46 of his last 84 three-point attempts (55 percent).

-- Going up against the best shot-blocking team in the league (6.3 blocks per game entering play), New York was blocked six times in the first half and after keeping it close in the first quarter (down 30-29), the Knicks slipped further and further behind in the second quarter and entered halftime down 64-54. 

-- New York's shooting plummeted out of the break, putting up just 15 points in the third quarter. Eight of those points came from Brunson, while the rest of the starters contributed next to nothing. Most disappointing was Karl-Anthony Towns, who needs to step up on both ends of the floor with Josh Hart still out with a sprained ankle. 

Instead, KAT finished with six points, one rebound and six turnovers. He took four shots and just two from inside the arc despite being the tallest player on the court. In fact, Detroit completely overmatched the Knicks on the glass, outrebounding them 44 to 30, even though no Piston had more than nine. Only Mitchell Robinson finished with double-digit rebounds, securing 10 boards in 25 minutes.

-- After such a disheartening third quarter by New York and no change in the fourth, head coach Mike Brown had seen enough and waved the white flag by emptying his bench with half a quarter left to play.

-- The Knicks led only once in this game, the first lead of the night after OG Anunoby made one of two free throws to give them a 1-0 lead. 13 seconds later, Duncan Robinson hit a three (and the free throw after getting fouled) and Detroit was off and running.

-- The Pistons finished with 11 blocks and 12 steals, turning over New York 20 times.

Game MVP: Cade Cunningham

Cunningham was clearly the best player on the court and finished with a double-double (game-high 29 points, 13 assists).

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks host the Los Angeles Clippers at MSG on Wednesday night with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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Tariq Francis scores 30, Rutgers beats Oregon 88-85 in overtime

Tariq Francis made 10 of 16 from the field, hit 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, and scored 30 points to help Rutgers beat Oregon 88-85 in overtime on Monday night. Darren Buchanan Jr. hit a corner 3-pointer and threw down a two-hand dunk before Francis made a jumper that capped a 7-1 spurt and gave Rutgers (8-7, 1-3 Big Ten) an 87-82 lead with 1:09 to play. Buchanan, Jamichael Davis and Lino Mark each scored 13 points for the Scarlet Knights.