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The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t able to sustain their good play from the last several weeks. They dropped the first leg of their five-game Western Conference road trip in embarrassing fashion, falling to the Devin Booker-less Phoenix Suns 126-113.

The final score isn’t indicative of how lopsided the game was. The Suns led by as many as 33 in the fourth quarter before the Cavs made the final score more tolerable in garbage time.

Despite the ending, the game was back and forth throughout the first half, with Phoenix taking a five-point lead into the break. That changed quickly in the third quarter.

The Suns thoroughly dominated that frame, winning it 45-32. The Cavs had no answer on defense as the Suns went 16-20 (80%) from the floor in that quarter.

Tempers flared at the start of the fourth as the Cavaliers became increasingly frustrated with the officiating, which wasn’t at all why they were being run off the floor. Head coach Kenny Atkinson picked up his second technical foul of the evening just one minute into the final quarter. That at least saved him from witnessing the conclusion of a game that the Suns led by 33 at one point.

Two things did the Cavaliers in on Friday: Three-point shooting and turnovers.

The Suns were able to exploit the Cavs’ poor perimeter defense. They couldn’t stop dribble penetration and had to collapse the defense to protect the rim. This led to easy drive-and-kick threes that the Suns knocked down at a 47.9% clip.

Meanwhile, the Cavs weren’t able to get the three-ball to fall as they went 15-48 (31.3%) from beyond the arc. This led to Phoenix having a 24-point advantage in points off of threes.

This was coupled with an inability to take care of the basketball. Without Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (calf), and Craig Porter Jr. (knee), Atkinson’s group needed Donovan Mitchell to organize the offense. He failed to do so, turning it over eight times, one off his career-high of nine for a game.

Mitchell wasn’t the only one giving it away. As a team, the Cavs coughed it up 22 times. Phoenix capitalized with 36 points off turnovers.

Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 27 points on 9-14 shooting, a day after dropping 40 in a win over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

Brooks was the only Sun to finish with more than 20 points, but seven finished with double-digit points.

There’s little to take away from the Cavaliers’ perspective. This was a truly awful game with very few redeeming qualities.

Jarrett Allen looked good in the first half, but that fizzled away in the second half. Jaylon Tyson played well, providing 16 points on 7-13 shooting, but he wasn’t able to do enough to slow Phoenix’s momentum.

De’Andre Hunter led the team with 17 points on 7-15 shooting.

Mitchell had 16 points on 6-12 shooting with six assists and eight turnovers in the loss.

The Cavs will look to get things headed back in the right direction when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Tip-off is at 9 PM.

The Cleveland Cavaliers started their Western Conference road trip with a dud, losing 126-113 to the Phoenix Suns.

LOSER – Turnovers

Whew boy.

There’s nothing more frustrating than watching your team throw the ball away carelessly. The Cavs had 15 turnovers in the first half, which is more than their average for an entire game this season. Most of those turnovers were simple miscommunications or passes thrown way off the mark.

Lonzo Ball handed it straight to the Suns just moments after checking into the game. De’Andre Hunter sailed an outlet pass 12 feet above Thomas Bryant’s head. Donovan Mitchell dribbled it off his own foot or coughed it up to a defender for 7 turnovers in the first half. Just to name a few.

What’s arguably worse is that the Cavs were actually still in this game. It’s one thing to play yourself out of the gym with boneheaded turnovers. It’s another to make all of those mistakes and still be within striking distance because everything else is going as planned.

The Cavs entered halftime trailing by five points. A blessing considering how poorly they took care of the ball during those first 24 minutes. That wouldn’t remain as the Suns finally blew this game open in the third quarter.

WINNER – Jarrett Allen’s First Half

The Cavs need extra production from Allen with Evan Mobley out for the short-term future. He did so last game, dominating the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight, his impact only lasted the first half before the wheels flew off around him.

Allen grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first two and a half quarters, buying the Cavs extra possessions in a game where offense was a struggle. Those second-chance opportunities nearly helped them offset the turnover disparity, which we already covered.

More than that, Allen was the best option on offense as the Cavs had all of their best actions run through him as a screener. Whether it be pick-and-roll or dribble-hand-offs, Allen looked like the only player who could get this offense out of the mud.

As mentioned, the wheels eventually came off. Allen isn’t the type of player who can single-handedly carry a team when the backcourt is turning it over, shooting poorly, and conceding open three-pointers to the other team. This one stunk, but it wasn’t because of JA.

LOSER – Shot Creation

I could have included this in our previous turnover section, but I figured it was worth its own discussion.

The Cavs had zero juice off the dribble tonight. Mitchell was uncharacteristically cold (something that’s bound to happen every once in a while, even for the best players in the association). And with no Darius Garland or Craig Porter Jr., Cleveland found itself incredibly light on ball handling and shot creation.

Basketball is built on advantage creation. You can’t run an offense if you can’t beat your man off the dribble and get the defense into the rotation. No one on the roster was able to do this consistently — save for the momentary runs where Allen’s screening was lending them advantages.

To be fair, few teams in the NBA can sustain injuries to four players who are important to the offense like Garland, Mobley, Strus, and Porter. That’s your lead guard, secondary guard, third-string guard, and primary handler in the frontcourt all on the sidelines. Toss in an ugly game from Mitchell, and this level of misfortune will put any team in the hole.

But I don’t decide who is available to play. I can only write about the game I watched. The Cavs didn’t have the firepower tonight.

WINNER – Thomas Bryant

We had to shout TB out for this one.

Bryant’s box score is juiced by the heavy garbage time he played. But 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists are still sweet. His presence off the bench is a big reason why this game was close at halftime. He knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and had a layup-saving block at the rim to give this team momentum before the half.

For a guy who has spent most of the season getting DNP-CD’s, Bryant has always been ready to take the floor and give his all. He deserves a nod of respect.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their first game in six tries. The Phoenix Suns took them to school 126-113.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

16 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 8 turnovers

I don’t care to pile on Mitchell for a bad performance when he’s been carrying this team for most of the season. But hey, he stunk tonight. This was a disaster from the jump, with Mitchell turning it over seven times in the first half alone.

Grade: F

Jarrett Allen

12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 23 minutes

Allen might have had the best game of anyone on the roster. And he really only played well for the first half. After that, it was out of his control. He set solid screens, finished at the rim, and grabbed rebounds. But the little things aren’t as important when the rest of the game is going catastrophically wrong.

This probably would have been a much better Allen performance if the game was close enough for him to play more than 23 minutes.

Grade: B

Jaylon Tyson

16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Tyson was fine enough. He helped steady the ship in the first half with his shot-making, and he finished as an efficient 7-13 from the floor. The Cavs just didn’t have enough firepower tonight for this to make a difference.

Grade: B+

Thomas Bryant

9 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

We’re getting most of the positives out of the way early. Bryant was a standout from the first half, bringing some much-needed floor spacing and anchoring the defense. He didn’t play much outside of that before garbage time.

Grade: A+

De’Andre Hunter

17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 3 turnovers

Hunter shot 7-15 tonight, which is pretty solid considering how poor he’s shot for most of the season. That’s a good sign. So is 3 steals. But the rest of his game was fairly ugly tonight. Hunter had a few brutal-looking turnovers.

Grade: C-

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

This was a helter-skelter performance from Tomlin. Not in a good way.

He was out of position on defense and didn’t have the floor spacing or ball-handling abilities to help on offense.

And for future reference, I’m not judging how anyone performed in garbage time. I’m only considering the minutes that mattered. Because otherwise, Tomlin was pretty sweet in the final five minutes. I just don’t think that’s very important.

Grade: C-

Dean Wade

3 points, 4 rebounds

Wade hit his first shot of the night and then went 0-2 the rest of the way. There’s not much else to say.

Grade: C-

Sam Merrill

10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Merrill resorted to some incredibly difficult three-point attempts tonight in his best effort to jumpstart the Cavs offense. He just didn’t have it. Merrill finished 2-7 from deep and 4-12 from the floor. We respect him for trying.

Grade: C-

Lonzo Ball

3 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers

The Cavs turned to Ball for some backup guard minutes because, well, they didn’t have anyone else. The story was the same as it has been all season.

He’s a non-threat to score (1-8 from the floor tonight) and just an OK defender. This wasn’t Ball’s fault, but he didn’t help much either.

Grade: F

Tyrese Proctor

4 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers

I still have faith in Proctor as a guard with good size, a nice three-point jumper and quality defensive instincts. But he looked like a second-round draft pick tonight. That will happen from time to time.

Grade: F

PHOENIX (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 27 points and the Phoenix Suns beat Cleveland 126-113 on Friday night to sweep a back-to-back and end the Cavaliers' winning streak at a season-best five games.

On Thursday night against Detroit, the Suns gave out “Dillon the Villain” T-shirts before Brooks scored a career-high 40 points in a 114-96 victory. Phoenix has won three in a row with scoring leader Devin Booker sidelined by a sprained ankle.

Brooks was 9 of 14 from the field. He hit 2 of 4 3-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws. The Suns were 23 of 48 from 3-point range.

Jordan Goodwin added 17 points to help Phoenix improve to 30-19. Collin Gillespie had 16 points.

Jalen Green returned from a right hamstring injury to play only his fifth game of the season. Acquired from Houston in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets, Green had 11 points in 15 1/2 minutes.

De’Andre Hunter led Cleveland with 17 points. Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson each had 16, with Mitchell committing eight turnovers.

The Suns outscored the Cavaliers 45-32 in the third quarter to take a 97-79 lead. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson was ejected early in the fourth with his second technical foul of the night, and Phoenix pushed the lead to 30 at 109-79.

Phoenix led 52-47 at the half. Cleveland had 15 first-half turnovers.

Cleveland fell to 29-21.

Up next

Cavaliers: At Portland on Sunday night.

Suns: Host Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers were dominant in a 142-111 road win over the Washington Wizards on Friday, Jan. 30.

Doncic managed to overcome left ankle soreness and score a game-high 37 points in a triple-double performance. He was listed on the status report as questionable before he was upgraded to available in the moments leading up to tip-off.

Doncic nearly avoided serious injury earlier in the week when he suffered a spill on the court and was heard on a video voicing his displeasure during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 28.

According to The Athletic, the court is said to be 10 inches above a rubber mat that covers an ice hockey rink at Rocket Arena, where the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League also play.

Luka Doncic stats vs. Wizards

• Points: 37
• FG: 13-for-21 (6-for-13 from 3-point line)
• Free Throws: 5-for-7
• Rebounds: 11
• Assists: 13
• Steals: 3
• Blocks: 0
• Turnovers: 5
• Fouls: 0
• Minutes: 31

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic stats, points tonight, Lakers vs Wizards highlights

Nothing like playing the Wizards to make a team look elite. Los Angeles destroyed Washington on Friday night, with Luka Dončić ending the first half with a triple-double.

The Lakers’ offense was too much for the Wizards to handle, and the game quickly got out of hand.

Long term, there’s not much to take away from this game beyond the Wizards being bad and the Lakers being better.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

30 minutes, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 8-16 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, +25

I would say LeBron turned back the clock with this performance, but really, he was reminding us that he can do this whenever he wants.

James was zipping around the court, and he had some dazzling dunks that quickly turned this contest into a Lakers home game in Washington.

This never gets old! 😄 pic.twitter.com/cXPTxpsRBl

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 31, 2026

Thanks to LeBron, the result was secure before the third quarter began.

Grade: A

Luka Dončić

31 minutes, 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, 5 turnovers, 13-21 FG, 6-13 3PT, 5-7 FT, +21

Luka was an offensive monster in Washington. He obliterated the Wizards. His most impressive basket was a bank shot 3-pointer that left the crowd gasping in amazement.

This was about as good a game as Luka could’ve had.

Grade: A+

Deandre Ayton

29 minutes, 28 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 12-14 FG, 4-4 FT, +30

Ayton scored LA’s first points of this game, and it was a precursor of things to come. He stayed aggressive the rest of the way, ending the night with 28 points.

It was also good to see Ayton register three blocks and zero fouls in this game. Ayton had a plus-minus of +30, which was the best on the Lakers.

Grade: A+

Marcus Smart

27 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-2 FG, 1-2 3PT, +21

While many Lakers played well, Smart was rather pedestrian in this one. He had a few ill-advised passes that led to turnovers and provided little to nothing offensively.

In this blowout win, his defensive tenacity was minimized because the Lakers were just outscoring the Wizards, especially in the second half. Even so, Smart should’ve played better.

Grade: D

Jake LaRavia

25 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 1-3 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, +24

Austin Reaves, please come back.

Grade: D

Jaxson Hayes

14 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4-5 FG, 2-2 FT, -3

Hayes played his role well, scoring inside and being a ball of offensive energy off the bench. He had some nice dunks and will showcase that skill as a participant in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend.

Grade: B+

Gabe Vincent

18 minutes, 6 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2-5 FG, 2-5 3PT, +3

Vincent passed up a wide-open layup to pass the ball to LaRavia for a corner 3-pointer. LaRavia missed and that was the most memorable moment for Vincent in this game.

Grade: C-

Rui Hachimura

18 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-6 FT, -2

Hachimura did well with the opportunities he was given in Washington. He knocked down a couple of threes and was an efficient scorer.

Grade: B-

Jarred Vanderbilt

16 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 foul, 3-5 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, +7

Vando was a defensive disruptor and an overall positive for the Lakers. His offensive possessions are always going to be an adventure, but he was more good than bad in this game.

Grade: B

Drew Timme

17 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT, +17

Timme gives LA a two-big lineup that Lakers head coach JJ Redick can go to. He didn’t necessarily shine in this game, but he can stretch the floor a little and always brings the energy.

Grade: C-

Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Dalton Knecht

This trio only played in garbage time, so they will not receive a grade.

JJ Redick

The Lakers won this game easily, and Redick deserves credit for that. Sure, LA fell asleep in the third quarter, but he called timeouts to try to regain control.

The Wizards still won that period, but it wasn’t a disaster, and he was able to empty the bench midway through the fourth, giving his starters some much-needed rest.

Grade: B+

Friday’s inactives: Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon, Austin Reaves, Nick Smith Jr.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

When the Knicks (30*-18) battled the Portland Trail Blazers (23-26) earlier this month, they had struggled a bit to contain the youngsters, only putting the game away late in the fourth quarter. Tonight, New York was clearly intent on putting a stamp on the game early, and so they did with a 24-point first-half lead. As is usually the case, they let the rope slip after building such a comfy cushion. Still, Portland never cut the deficit to single-digits in the second half and instead watched it reach 33 points before the final, merciful buzzer. Their 127-87 wire-to-wire win was New York’s fifth straight and marked the fifth time in seven games that the Knicks have held an opponent under 100 points. Vibe check: pretty, pretty,pretty good.

At the start, the Knicks charged the paint to set a physical tone. Eight of their first fifteen points came in the paint, with Josh Hart acting as a primary bulldozer. He took 17 shots tonight and finished with 20 points, six boards, six assists, two steals, and a block. The rim was also where the league’s top two rebounders squared off, with Karl-Anthony Towns outperforming Donovan Clingan 2:1 on the glass. School was in session tonight! Towns finished the game with 14 points, 20 rebounds, and one foul—two nights after grabbing a season-high 22 boards and committing no fouls in Toronto. 42 rebounds in two games is impressive, no? Clingan ended the game with just six boards and seven points.

From the tip, Portland heaved a bushel of threes (as is their nature) and missed most of them (as is their nature). Overall, they would shoot 13-of-43 from downtown.

Jalen Brunson (26 points, 5-of-12 3PT) met little resistance tonight and, in Q1, he executed a four-point play, getting fouled on a made three. Portland did not look like a very disciplined team. Midway through the quarter, Mohamed Diawara, Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet subbed in and, with them on the floor, New York pushed the lead to nine. From there, the Blazers unraveled quickly, Mitchell Robinson picked up where KAT left off, and the home team was ahead 37-22 heading into the second period.

back-to-back buckets for cap 🫡 pic.twitter.com/L1YiDFmISK

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 31, 2026

Tyler Kolek must be back in Mike Brown’s good graces. The sophomore led the troops to start the second quarter, giving Brunson a blow. Over the first leg of the frame, the Knicks rolled their lead out to 24—but the Oregonians answered a 12-0 Knicks’ run with a 15-2 stretch of their own, cutting the deficit to 13. Portland had a chance narrow the score even further, but couldn’t stop giving the ball away. By halftime, they’d committed eight turnovers to New York’s four.

As the second quarter progressed, New York’s shooting regressed. That gave Portland some oxygen and Shaedon Sharpe provided the spark, knocking down a couple of threes. Jerami Grant chipped in a few, too, and soon the visitors had cut the leash to eight with a minute left. During that stretch, New York went over five minutes without a bucket, taking their contractually obligated post-big-lead respite. With the relief of a triple from Brunson, New York crept into intermission up 59-49.

Through the half, New York shot better overall (46% to 41%) and from three (50% to 41%), and had won the paint (22–16). Part of the problem for Portland? Their Deni Avdija, the ice cream maven and rising star forward, was sufficiently neutralized by the Knicks all night. A game-time-decision with a back issue, he shot 4-of-14 from the field and finished with 11 points. Usually, he shoots almost 10 free throws per game. Tonight, the refs were stingy in his direction, giving him just three shots from the stripe.

New York began the third period with a 14-9 stretch. Portland tried to push the pace but could never build a head of steam. Jalen Brunson kept things orderly and, with this bucket, scored the 10,000th career point of his career.

10,000 career @NBA points for Jalen Brunson!@LT__Murray | @WaltFrazier | #NewYorkForeverpic.twitter.com/vK9dFghPYg

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) January 31, 2026

The Blazers could not reduce the deficit to single digits and headed into the final frame behind, 87-69. Recently, Jrue Holiday had been mentioned as a player New York was monitoring before the February 5 trade deadline. Tonight, he shot 2-of-7 from the field. Maybe don’t hurry to make that trade, Leon?

Kolek continued to make the most of his opportunity, lacing 3-of-5 from deep for 13 points and dishing four dimes in 17 minutes. Also having a good time: OG Anunoby, who scored 10 of his 24 points (10-of-17 FG, 4-of-8 3PT) to help slam the door early. Around the four-minute mark, with a 29-point lead, Coach Brown sent in Ariel Hukporti, Dillon Jones, and Guerschon Yabusele to join Kolek and Diawara in riding out the win. This was a first appearance for Jones, who signed a two-way deal ten days ago. He celebrated the moment with a three-pointer, and by the curtain, New York celebrated a 127-97 win.

Up Next

For you folks, Professor Miranda is preparing his lesson plan. For the Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers roll into Manhattan for a showdown on Sunday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup final didn’t count.

The Atlanta Hawks squared off against the Houston Rockets on January 29 at State Farm Arena, and their outing didn’t seem to go the way they wanted it to. The Hawks were fresh off a win against the Boston Celtics, defeating them 117-106, and the Rockets recently lost to the San Antonio Spurs, but Houston defeated Atlanta 104-86, losing by double digits.

Jalen Johnson’s Absence

Hawks’ forward Jalen Johnson did not play against the Rockets last night due to calf tightness. Johnson has been averaging 23 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game this season.

Johnson’s offensive production was definitely missed as they struggled to get things going in the second half. Hawks’ guards CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker picked up the slack, with McCollum having 23 points and Alexander-Walker scoring 20. Forward Corey Kispert was third in scoring with 17 points.

The Hawks did well in the first half, keeping the score close — their backcourt got hot early, and they were only down one at 43-42. The Rockets were ranked in the top five in scoring defense, so the Hawks would have had to make the most of their offensive possessions, but Houston’s defensive prowess rang true. But things got away in the second half with players like Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. having productive games.

Hawks’ Defensive Struggles

The Hawks’ defense struggled against the Rockets, with Kevin Durant scoring 31 points on 12-for-22 shooting. The Hawks had a tough matchup guarding Durant on the perimeter.

Size differential could’ve been an issue for the Hawks as well. Houston was able to take control of the paint with 59 total rebounds to the Hawks’ 46. Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. had five blocks while guard Reed Sheppard had 13 points.

In the postgame press conference, Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder said that when Durant is “at the nail of the foul line, it’s very difficult to double team there.” Also emphasizing that when Durant is doubled, that hurt them in rebounding.

Hawks Injuries

To the Hawks’ credit, they did well in the first half, but things just went negative in the second half. But they also have quite a few injuries with Jalen Johnson not playing due to a calf issue. Onyeka Okongwu, Zaccharie Risacher, and Kristaps Porzingis did not play either.

In the postgame presser, Snyder iterated that Okongwu and Johnson are among their better players. Against a team with a size differential, such as Houston, this was evident in rebounding.

The Atlanta Hawks will go against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. For the Hawks, a key to getting back on track for the rest of the season is getting players healthy and having their core players available.

Atlanta is now 24-26 and ninth in the Eastern Conference.

For more sports media content, follow me on X(Twitter) and Instagram @BJT_ERA

It’s incredible just how quickly the mood around a team can change. 

It was just last week that the Knicks looked lost, having dropped nine of 11 games. Jalen Brunson was asking his teammates to “care” more than they had been showing. Their contender chops were being questioned. 

And just like that, that discourse is on the back burner. The dominant team that was present in the beginning of the season has re-emerged. 

The Knicks (30-18) thumped the Blazers 127-97 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, their fifth straight win. Now three games under .500, the Blazers aren’t exactly a huge test. But they do represent the third team currently in the playoff picture that the Knicks have beaten in this streak. 

“We went through a little bit of adversity in terms of our wins and losses,” coach Mike Brown said. “Our guys just kind of stayed with it. We kept trying to help them as best we could. Those guys stayed with it, they stayed together. This is a veteran group that has been through a lot. They figured out what they needed to do to play at a high level. They’re going out there and showing it.” 

Off nights for Brunson are rare. Two in a row? That almost never happens. After finishing with just 13 points and battling an illness in the Knicks’ win over the Raptors on Wednesday, he recorded a team-high 26 points Friday. His four-point play at the end of the first quarter gave the Knicks an early 15-point lead. 

OG Anunoby added 24 points — 10 of which came in the fourth quarter as he took over. He was an efficient 10-for-17 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Josh Hart added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Karl-Anthony Towns was passive offensively, saving some of his energy for the boards. He ended up with 14 points and 20 rebounds — six of which were offensive. His quick outlets after rebounds helped get the Knicks going in transition. He had just five points entering the fourth quarter. 

After falling apart during their downturn, a dramatic defensive turnaround is largely what has been behind this Knicks upswing. It was evident again Friday. 

“I think we’re trusting each other more,” Hart said of their defense. “Obviosuly, during that skid, during film and all that, we had guys talk and that was one thing, I think [Miles McBride] said, we gotta make sure we continue to trust each other. When you’re on the ball, trust that the guys are gonna be in the shifts for you. Somebody gets blown by, the big steps up, the big has a trust that the guard is gonna sink into his man, someone is gonna X out. 

“I think we’re just continuing to gain that trust. I think we’re communicating more on the defensive end. You do that, that helps the trust area.” 

They’ve held opponents to under 100 points in four of five games in this streak. 

They limited Deni Avdija, one of the league’s breakout stars this year, to just 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field. 

“I think we’re a little bit more connected than we’ve been,” Brunson said. “Gotta continue to build off it and keep having each other’s backs. I think, most importantly, our attention to detail. I’m gonna keep stressing that is very important for us. 

The Knicks used a 9-0 run to start the second quarter to take a 24-point lead. The Blazers trimmed that to a 10-point deficit by halftime, but the Knicks began the second half with a 10-3 run to go up 17 and regain command. The Blazers never seriously threatened to make it interesting. Brown was able to empty his bench with just over four minutes remaining. And Tyler Kolek had 13 off the bench — 10 in the fourth quarter. 

Friday was the fourth wire-to-wire win of the season for the Knicks. A blowout loss to the Mavericks at MSG represented their low point this year. But they didn’t let it go any farther. Five straight wins later, their mojo is back. 

The Lakers on Sunday will be the biggest test of this Knicks resurgence. But compared to where it was trending not too long ago, this is a strong response. 

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Elise Mertens marked her return to the No. 1 ranking in women's doubles by combining with China's Zhang Shuai to win the Australian Open title on Saturday, joined later by American Christian Harrison and Britain's Neal Skupski who won the men's doubles trophy.

Back together after four years apart as a team, Mertens and Zhang trailed 3-0 and 4-1 in the first set but rallied to beat Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. Mertens and Zhang led the final set 5-0 before withstanding a comeback attempt when Danilina and Krunic won four straight games.

Harrison served an ace on match point to give he and Skupski a win in the men's final by the same score as the women — 7-6 (4), 6-4 — over the Australian pair of Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans. Kubler went into the match with a 14-3 doubles record at his home major.

Harrison and Skupski, who both competed at last year’s ATP Finals with different partners, joined as a team for the first time in Adelaide earlier this month, where they reached the semifinals.

Currently ranked No. 6 in doubles, Mertens, who won the Wimbledon doubles title last year with Veronika Kudermetova, will return to the No. 1 ranking after the Australian Open.

That will mark the Belgian player's 40th cumulative week as No. 1 in doubles and was guaranteed regardless of the outcome of the Melbourne Park final Saturday.

The win Saturday was Mertens' sixth Grand Slam doubles title, including 2021 and 2024 at Melbourne Park. Zhang now has three, including the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 U.S. Open.

It was their first Grand Slam trophy as a team, having lost the 2022 Wimbledon final in their last appearance together.

“This is like cherry on the cake,” Mertens said. “We paired up as a team very last-minute . . . this was our first tournament back together. In the second round we saved three match points, so that kind of took us to another level. An unbelievable two weeks."

Mertens reached the fourth round of women’s singles at Melbourne Park this year before being beaten by eventual finalist Elena Rybakina.

Zhang says she and Mertens adapt well.

“We know how to play finals, we know how to win finals,” Zhang said. “We are both very calm. If something doesn't work . . . we always adjust.”

The mixed doubles final was played on Friday, when Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to win consecutive titles since 1989 after beating the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis