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The Phoenix Suns’ start to the final 27-game stretch of the season went as poorly as you could have imagined it in a 121-94 loss to the Spurs. The game is just one of a long 82-game season, but it was a reminder that the Suns, and by extension the Suns fanbase, are cursed.

Most of us Suns fans know the history: The Suns lost the coin flip for the first pick in the NBA Draft the year Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was coming out of UCLA, Stoudemire was suspended for stepping onto the court in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals in 2007, the Kardashian curse, etc. There is always something that happens to us that zaps our happiness.

This season, it has been the seesaw of health for Devin Booker and Jalen Green. With Jalen Green starting his first game as a Phoenix Suns player, it took all but six minutes for Booker to exit the game due to right hip soreness in a game the Suns were completely outplayed the moment he left the game. Maybe it is time to accept that Booker and Green just will not play together this season. The talented guard duo has started and finished a handful of games this entire season.

The only good news from this game was that Green finished the game healthy and looked the healthiest he has all season. He led the Suns with 26 points on 11-of-23 from the field in a season-high 26 minutes. At times, Green was the only Suns player who did not appear bothered by the Spurs’ relentless pressure and elite shot-blocking presence at the rim. The Suns need a big game from someone else to have a chance in this one, and no one stepped up with Allen and Brooks out.

Top Performers

Suns

• Jalen Green: 26 points, 11-of-23 shooting, 2 assists, 3 steals
• Mark Williams: 11 points, 4-of-12 shooting, 10 rebounds, 1 block
• Oso Ighodaro: 10 points, 5-of-8 shooting, 5 assists
• Collin Gillespie: 8 points, 3-for-13 shooting, 8 assists

Spurs

• Stephon Caste: 20 points, 8-for-11 shooting, 4 assists
• Victor Wembanyama: 17 points, 8-for-15 shooting, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks
• De’Aaron Fox: 15 points, 4-of-9 shooting, 8 assists
• Dylan Harper: 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting

Game Flow

First Half 

Jalen Green’s first start for the Suns got off to a strong start. He scored 7 points in the first six minutes of the game and knocked down his first three. He also had multiple dump-off passes to Mark Williams who had varying success trying to finish against Wembenyama. There were growing pains as well. Green threw the ball carelessly multiple times, resulting in a couple of turnovers, but most importantly, he looked fully healthy and confident moving on the court.

Then the bad news, Devin Booker exited the game and went back to the locker room with five minutes left in the first quarter.

Without Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Grayson Allen playing, the Suns survived offensively for a quarter. The Suns were moving the ball and getting good shots against one of the top defenses in the NBA. Defensively, is where the Suns specifically missed Brooks and Allen. The Spurs guards De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper all attacked the Suns and were effective in getting to the rim and generating easy baskets. Spurs led 30-25 after an Oso Ighodaro bricked floater fell to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Suns’ bench struggled to keep pace. The Spurs started the quarter on a 13-0 run with the Suns’ offense unable to create quality shots with Wembanyama on the floor. With the Suns’ offense sputtering, the Spurs took advantage, getting the ball up the court quickly. Castle led the Spurs charge, scoring 14 points on 5-of-6 from the field and 4 assists. The Suns’ first points in the quarter came on a Royce O’Neale three with 7:30 left in the quarter, followed by a Green 3-point shot to force a Spurs timeout down 45-31.

The only semi-good news from an abysmal second quarter was that Booker checked back into the game with 4:46 left, but he quickly returned to the locker room minutes later.

The Spurs ballooned out to 19 points thanks to a 16-4 advantage in points off turnovers. The Suns committed just seven turnovers, but they were cataclysmic. The Suns, who are second in the NBA in steals per game, got a taste of their own medicine from the Spurs. The ball pressure from the Spurs guards frustrated and disrupted the Suns, who could not get into any rhythm. After multiple defensive breakdowns and Luke Kornet dunks, it was all San Antonio until a late flurry of triples from Jordan Goodwin and O’Neale got Phoenix within shouting distance, down 61-49 at halftime.

Second Half

The second half was all San Antonio. The Spurs turned stops into easy fastbreak layups for the entire third quarter, which the Spurs led by as much as 32. The Spurs outscored the Suns 25-7 in fastbreak points and 18-7 in points off turnovers after three quarters, when this game was unofficially over at 98-71. After a mediocre first half by his standards, Wembanyama made his typical jaw-dropping plays as he easily blocked a circus Green layup and had a monster dunk on the other end. Williams competed hard against Wembanyama, but struggled to finish over the top, and defensively, he was targeted and taken advantage of by the quick San Antonio guards. The usually reliable Gillespie struggled to get his shot off against the superior athleticism of the Spurs guards at times and looked to be second-guessing many of the opportunities he created.

The Suns threw in the towel in the fourth quarter and started playing the young guys. The first four-minute stretch for Phoenix was Green, Gillespie, Ighodaro, Ryan Dunn, and Rasheer Fleming. Then Khaman Maluach checked in for the rest of the quarter. The Suns’ lottery pick scored 4 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and turned it over twice in his eight minutes. Fleming scored 3 points on 1-for-4 shooting and snagged 3 boards.

Up Next

The Suns head back home to face the Orlando Magic on Saturday at 3 pm Arizona time on NBATV.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a roll. They’ve won six straight and are 13-2 since January 14th. Jarrett Allen has been dominant throughout.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. We also won’t be grading garbage time. Sorry, Tristan Enaruna. You were fun to watch.

Donovan Mitchell

17 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds

Mitchell must feel like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. He’s able to freely attack defenses without having to do everything for Cleveland. He’s no longer their leading scorer and best playmaker. He can instead fall back into his comfort zone as a volume shooter who can dish the ball in the right spaces. That should lead to an even more efficient Mitchell as we move into the playoffs.

Grade: A+

James Harden

16 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Harden put on a clinic tonight. He was in full control of the offense, throwing dimes left and right while getting to the rim whenever he wanted. His playmaking is bringing out the best in everyone, and he’s a big reason for the crowd being lively in Cleveland once again. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Harden experience thus far.

Grade: A+

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Jarrett Allen

15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Rolling hard to the basket. Burying mismatches and drawing free throws. Blocking opponents at the rim. Catching lobs from the dunker’s spot. Allen is doing it all, and the Cavs are surging because of it.

Grade: A+

Jaylon Tyson

11 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds

Tyson’s development has been fascinating to watch. He’s filled whatever role is asked of him. And, as he grows more comfortable creating in the short-roll, his pairing with either Mitchell or Harden should only get more fun to watch. He’s an underrated screener, and he’s playing next to two of the best manipulators in the game.

Grade: A-

Keon Ellis

7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks

I can get used to watching Ellis play for the Cavs. He’s an electric defender who makes all of the highlight plays while bringing enough offensive juice to be on the floor in any lineup. Consider me a fan.

Grade: A+

Evan Mobley

10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

Mobley returned from his calf injury tonight. He was limited by a minutes restriction (and the Cavs ended this game early), but the early results of Mobley running the pick-and-roll next to Harden have been positive. And, he’s still a menace defensively.

Grade: A-

Dennis Schroder

12 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds

Schroder started this game with an ugly airball from the short corner. You don’t see those very often in the NBA. Outside of that, he was a helpful contributor in a huge win.

Grade: B+

Sam Merrill

3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Merrill couldn’t miss a shot in his previous game against the Wizards. He crashed back to Earth with a 1-4 shooting performance tonight. It happens.

Grade: B-

Dean Wade

11 points, 5 rebounds

Wade returned from injury and nailed his first two shot attempts. He finished the game a perfect 4-4 from the floor, hitting three triples and providing elite defense. AWOOOOOOO.

Grade: A+++

CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and the Toronto Raptors returned from the All-Star break to beat the Chicago Bulls 110-101 on Thursday night.

With Chicago coach Billy Donovan away following his father’s death Saturday, assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. directed the Bulls. Chicago has lost seven straight, also falling to the Raptors two weeks ago in Toronto.

Fifth in East, Toronto won for the eighth time in 12 games to improve to 33-23. Ingram also had eight rebounds and six assists. Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter each had 14 points, and RJ Barrett added 13.

After Anfernee Simons hit a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run and pull Chicago to 103-101 with 2:12 left, Collin Murray-Boyles had a three-point play with 1:18 remaining and Ingram hit a 17-footer with 36 seconds to go to make it 108-101.

Simons led Chicago with 20 points in his fifth game since coming over from Boston in a trade. Isaac Okoro added 16.

Bulls guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones returned from hamstring injuries, with each playing about 21 1/2 minutes. Giddey had five points and five assists, and Jones finished with 12 points and six assists.

Chicago opened a seven-game homestand. The Bulls are 11th in the East at 24-32.

Up next

Raptors: At Milwaukee on Sunday.

Bulls: Host Detroit on Saturday night.

___

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

The Suns were missing their emotional leader in Dillon Brooks, who was suspended for tonight’s game after committing 16 technical fouls before the All Star Break. When Devin Booker couldn’t come out of the locker room after halftime with hip soreness, the Suns were wounded, and the Spurs took advantage. The Spurs fought their way through an inefficient first half with Victor settling for three point shots and finesse plays, but still led by 12, thanks to some solid play from Luke Kornet and company. Victor moved his game inside the paint in the second half, and that combined with his ability to erase the opponents’ shots on defense let the Spurs put the game out of reach in the second half with a 37-22 third quarter. When the Spurs extended the lead to 30+ early in the final frame, it was Biyombo time as the Spurs put in a lineup of all third stringers to finish out the game. The Austin was treated to some nice shots from Carter Bryant and the rest of the garbage time crew as they held most of the lead and won 121-94. Victor came out after the game and banged the drum, and the crowd went wild!

Observations

• It was a balmy 75 degrees in Austin at tip-off. It’s a nice day to be in Central Texas.
• The Spurs wore Fiesta colors, and it looks like they transported the Fiesta court from San Antonio to the Moody Center. The logistics of holding a home game an hour and a half up I-35 (on a good day) from the Frost Bank Center must be pretty involved.
• The beginning of the game was a back-and-forth affair as both teams played the first 6 minutes at a breakneck pace, with the Spurs leading 17-16 halfway through the first. The Suns called the timeout to challenge an out of bounds call, and the challenge was successful, but they immediately turned over the ball to the Spurs, causing Jordan Ott to call another time out just 30 seconds later. It was a pretty inefficient quarter for both teams as the Spurs led 30-25 at the end of the first 12 minutes.
• Remember when it was a big deal when Carter Bryant got into the game? He’s just part of the regular rotation now.
• The Spurs are so lucky to have Luke Kornet. When Wembanyama has to sit, he’s always so solid, and he knows how to get the crowd involved when he make a play. When Wemby has a bit of an off night, Luke is always there to keep the Spurs going strong.
• The Silver and Black had some nice work in the second quarter but weren’t able to keep Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie in check as they led by as much as 19 later in the quarter, but the Suns ended on a 6-0 run to trail by a dozen points at the half, 61-49. It was kind of an ugly half, as both teams looked like they were coming off of an All Star hangover.
• Devin Booker did not come out of the locker room to start the second half with hip soreness, and Phoenix was without their top score as the Spurs started the third on a 12-2 run to take a 22 point lead.
• Steph Castle committed his fifth foul early in the third quarter, and had to sit out for a while, but with the Spurs stretching their lead as Dylan Harper filled in, it was not too much of a problem for the Silver and Black.
• Jamaree Bouyea is pretty impressive, he’s worked really hard to make a career in the NBA and worked his way into being in the Suns rotation after bouncing around the league for a couple of years. It’s just great to see guys like him succeed in the association.
• The Spurs outscored the Suns 37-22 in the third quarter with Victor Wembanyama dominating the paint on both ends of the court.
• Mitch Johnson decided he had seen enough with about 10 minutes left in the game, and put in a lineup of Bismack Biyombo, Jordan McLaughlin, Carter Bryant, Dylan Harper, and Kelly Olynyk to finish out the game.

The Spurs will remain in Austin for a couple more days, facing the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at the Moody Center. Then they’ll go on the road for five games, starting with the Pistons on February 23, including a key matchup against the Knicks on March 1, and finally returning home to San Antonio with a March 5 rematch against the Pistons. After the RRT concludes, the Spurs will be home for 13 of the remaining 21 games, which could be helpful for the Spurs as they attempt to rise in the playoff standings.

Tonight at Madison Square Garden, the Detroit Pistons (41-13) completed a three-game sweep of the Knicks (35*-21), 126-111.

The first half was physical and fast. New York gave away an early edge by missing 15 straight threes and failing to engage Karl-Anthony Towns. Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham powered Detroit to a 58-48 halftime lead. Towns opened the third with a nifty four-point play, but Detroit’s paint pressure and rebounding extended the margin to 90-79. In the fourth, the Knicks cut it to 11 late after trailing by 19, but by then, the outcome was never in doubt.

New York shot 8-of-35 from deep (23%) and lost the rebounding battle 44-38. Jalen Brunson led them with 33 points and six assists; Towns recovered from a two-point first half to post a 21-11 double-double; OG Anunoby scored eight on 3-of-13 but tied a career high with four blocks; Mikal Bridges had eight points on nine shots, and Josh Hart added 11 points in 28 minutes.

Landry Shamet supplied 15 off the bench and Mitchell Robinson chipped in seven points, six boards, two steals, and a block, but the second unit delivered no offense otherwise. Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan defended well but combined for eight points.

For the victors, Cunningham finished with 42 points, 14 assists, and eight rebounds on 17-of-34 shooting; third-string center Paul Reed scored 18 points and seven boards; and Tobias Harris recorded 11 points and 10 boards.

Happy Lunar New Year, folks.

First Half

Even though Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are serving suspensions, the remaining Pistons still brought pipes and hammers into MSG. Josh Hart took exception when hit from behind on a dunk, and the refs checked their shoelaces. He wasn’t the only complainer. Both sides bemoaned the excessive contact, but New York received more penalties by midway through the frame.

Early on, OG Anunoby missed two wide-open triples, but Detroit shot worse. The visitors made 1-of-10 as New York went up by seven points in a game that was not only chippy but speedy. The sneakers were slappin’, the perspiration was flyin’, and the dude with the sweat mop earned his paycheck. Landry Shamet came off the bench to spell Mikal Bridges. Soon after, Mitchell Robinson and Mohamed Diawara replaced Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. No Jeremy Sochan yet. . . .

After Motown’s cold start, they made seven of their next eight to leapfrog New York on the scoreboard. Shooting 1-of-8 from deep in the quarter didn’t help New York. Around the three-minute mark, Jose Alvarado clocked in and received a cheer. Jose repaid the affection with a tasty fast-break layup. And the newest Knick, Sochan—possessor of the best diastema in New York sports since Michael Strahan—made his MSG debut for the final defensive possession of the period. When the bell finally rang, Detroit held a 28-26 lead.

Boatloads of contact continued in Q2. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had taken just two shots total by the midway point of the period. With Duren and Stewart out, we were convinced Towns would explode tonight. It’s strange stuff when Mitch outscores KAT (7-2) in a half.

New York wasted opportunities and fell behind by six. Alvarado had another of his famous back-court steals, but Hart blew the layup; on the subsequent possession, Brunson botched a contested layup, and Mitch couldn’t corral the board. Alvarado contributed four misses to New York’s awful three-point shooting—they converted just 1-of-16 in the half. Give credit to Detroit for keeping the Knicks out of the corners, where they’re most dangerous.

Defensive intensity kept New York alive for most of the half, but it wasn’t enough. E.g., Brunson tried his best, but Cunningham was just too much to handle, scoring 24 in his first 19 minutes. The Pistons went on a 7-0 run over the final 1:20 of the half to take a 58-48 score into halftime. Brunson topped the Knicks box score with 13.

Second Half

Spotting Detroit 10 points? Not the best strategy. The second half started on a promising note, though, with a four-point play by Towns (plus three more buckets) in the first three minutes.

Every time the Knicks drove the lane—whether it was Towns, Anunoby, Brunson, or whoever—the Pistons collapsed and stuffed them. Consequently, the breakneck speed of the first half slowed due to an increase in foul calls, and New York began to get a more favorable whistle.

Anunoby did a good job guarding Cunningham, but when OG rested, the gates swung open.

Once again, the Knicks gave up too much ground at the end of a period. They fell behind by 13 down the stretch and went into the fourth quarter behind, 90-79. It would have been worse if Sochan—again playing the final minute—swatting back a driving Cunningham.

Brunson and Cunningham opened the quarter on the bench. The Knicks turned to Towns, Bridges, Hart, Alvarado, and Sochan, but early sloppiness stalled any push. Bridges threw it away, then missed a three-pointer, and Towns lost the ball after grabbing a defensive board. Meanwhile, the Pistons took a 19-point lead, capped by two Caris LeVert triples and a Daniss Jenkins’ bunny.

Midway through the frame, Brunson was back. He and Cunningham were dueling buckets. Coach Brown deployed Sochan again, gluing him to Cade. The newcomer had two steals and a block in five minutes. A line-up of Brunson, Shamet, Sochan, Anunoby, and Robinson was heavy on the defense, but Detroit’s was tougher. Brunson spun with a dribble right into Ausar Thompson’s arms. A potential Mitch dunk was blocked from behind by Paul Reed. And on one sequence, Harris and Cunningham both missed from deep, but Detroit’s relentless offensive rebounding brought the ball back to Cade for another attempt that finally found the net. With shenanigans like that, New York fell behind by 19.

With a minute-and-a-half left, Brunson hit a three to make the deficit 11, then stole the ball from Cunningham—but he bricked from deep, KAT blew the putback, Detroit scored at the other end, and all the air left the building. Ballgame.

Up Next

Matt Miranda’s comin’ at ya with a recap. Then the Houston Rockets come into MSG on Saturday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but Adam Silver robbed us.

All Times EST

Friday, Feb. 20

MLB - Spring Training

N.Y. Yankees vs. Baltimore at Sarasota, Fla., 1:05 p.m.

Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise, Ariz., 3:05 p.m.

Arizona vs. Colorado at Scottsdale, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

San Diego vs. Seattle at Peoria, Ariz., 3:10 p.m.

NBA

Cleveland at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Washington, 7 p.m.

Utah at Memphis, 7 p.m.

Dallas at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

Miami at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Brooklyn at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Milwaukee at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Denver at Portland, 10 p.m.

L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m.

T25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 18 Saint Louis vs. VCU, 7 p.m.

No. 7 Purdue vs. Indiana, 8 p.m.

No. 22 Miami (Ohio) vs. Bowling Green, 8:30 p.m.

_____

Pistons basketball is back – and Cade Cunningham is here to make an MVP run.

With Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart serving their suspensions from last week’s Charlotte game, Paul Reed and Tolu Smith were responsible for the 48 minutes at center.

Detroit started this one off looking they hadn’t played in more than a week while New York got out to a quick 9-2 run before the first JB Bickerstaff timeout. However, it didn’t take long until the owner of Madison Square Garden, James Dolan Cade Cunningham, decided it was time to put on a show. He had 14 of Detroit’s first 23 points and his only mishap was throwing a lob to Tolu Smith that only Jalen Duren could catch. The Pistons would take a 28-26 lead at the end of the first.

The second quarter featured two pretty assists early (and a dunk wedgie!) – one from Cade Cunningham through traffic to find Paul Reed for a dunk and the other from Ausar Thompson who put a two-handed rope into Tobias Harris’ chest for a knockdown corner three. Cade continued to get to his spots, finishing with eight more points in the final three minutes of the half. Detroit took a 58-48 lead at halftime behind 24 points from Cunningham.

New York clawed back and made it a 62-60 game until back-to-back Duncan Robinson threes made it 68-60. That’s when Cade turned his MVP mode on.

He had a sequence of eight straight points – bodied OG Anunoby for a layup, a midrange over OG, a poster on the entire Knicks team, and ended it with a heat check midrange. The only reason it didn’t continue was because he found Ron Holland for a wide open three. By the time it was the end of the quarter, Cade had 35 points and Detroit held a 90-79 lead.

Cunningham returned in the fourth and instantly found Javonte Green on the fastbreak with a two-handed bounce pass to give Woo an and-one dunk – it would give Cade his 10th assist of the night. Nobody on New York could guard Cunningham. At one point, they even tried recently acquired Jeremy Sochan and Cade absolutely cooked him with a stepback three for his 40th point.

To add to his MVP performance, he had three more assists before the final buzzer, including a lob to Daniss Jenkins and a needle-threader to Paul Reed on the roll. Detroit would finish with a 126-111 dominant victory over the New York Knicks.

I’m not exaggerating – this might’ve been the best basketball I’ve ever seen Cade Cunningham play. He finished with 42 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists. He shot 17-for-34 from the field and 5-for-11 from deep. He always shows up when Detroit plays the Knicks, and with missing both key big men, Cade knew he had to put the team on his back and he delivered. It was a complete two-way performance as he scored at all three levels while also adding three stocks.

As good as Cade was, Paul Reed also deserves to be recognized tonight. He started in place of Jalen Duren and played 30 minutes. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three blocks while shooting 7-for-9 from the field. Thank goodness for Bball Paul and his ability to be steadily consistent with inconsistent minutes.

I cannot recommend enough that you watch this beautiful performance on YouTube.

Give Cade the MVP trophy – tonight.

Go Stones.

The Knicks dropped the opener of their second half of the season against the Pistons on Thursday night by a score of 126-111, losing all three games against Detroit this season.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Things started off well for New York with Jalen Brunson welcoming his team back from the All-Star break by nailing a three-pointer to put the Knicks up early. Brunson was doing it all in the beginning, hitting his shots, getting to the line and dishing out assists like the one he had by finding Mikal Bridges for a deep two from the corner that caused the Pistons to call a timeout.

-- Meanwhile, Detroit struggled to get things going and started 1-for-10 from the field before Cade Cunningham hit a three, which seemed to be the catalyst the Pistons needed. From there, Cunningham took over and with the help of Tobias Harris and Paul Reed, Detroit had a 21-8 spurt that gave the Pistons a lead they held on to for the duration of the quarter.

-- New York kept things close after Jose Alvarado checked into the game, which drew a nice applause from the MSG crowd, and immediately made his presence felt both defensively and offensively. Still, Alvarado probably wishes he had one back with 26.4 seconds left in the opening quarter when he had an open lane on a fast break but decided to give the ball up to the trailing Brunson before running into a defender and getting called for an offensive charge. 

The quarter ended with Detroit up 28-26.

-- After trading baskets early in the second quarter to still be down by two, the offense for the Knicks just disappeared for nearly four minutes aside from some foul shots. But with the Pistons also struggling to find nylon during this time, New York's deficit remained steady. 

-- Shots on both sides finally started going in and after Brunson hit two free throws with just over a minute to play in the quarter to cut it to 51-48, it looked like the game would go into halftime in a similar spot. However, Detroit ended the quarter on a 7-0 run in 62 seconds and held its largest lead of the night going into the locker rooms at 58-48. Cunningham was the biggest star and led all scorers with 24 first-half points.

-- As for the Knicks, following the Pistons' poor shooting start in the early going, it was New York who couldn't buy a three-pointer all throughout the first half, going 0-for-15 from downtown after Brunson's make to start the game. Other than Brunson (13 points), no other Knick scored in double-digits.

-- That at least changed after the break, with Karl-Anthony Towns getting way more involved in the offense and helping New York get back to within two early in the quarter and scoring 12 points in the frame, although he was subbed out for four minutes and didn't score again in the quarter once coming back in.

-- Without Towns, Brunson took control of the offense but had to contend with Cunningham, who continued his incredible offensive performance and matched Brunson at every turn to help Detroit outscore the Knicks, 32-31, in the quarter and head into the fourth with an 11-point lead.

-- Desperate for help offensively, New York couldn't find it anywhere with OG Anunoby and Bridges combining for 16 points, although Anunoby did have four blocks on the defensive side. The biggest aid to Brunson's 33 points, other than Towns, who finished with 21 points, came from Landry Shamet, who had 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench. The Knicks shot 23 percent from three-point range.

-- Regardless, Cunningham stole the show with his 42-point, 13-assist and eight-rebound night, which was his best game against New York this season, in which the Pistons swept the season series, 3-0.

-- Jeremy Sochan made his Knicks debut and had two points, one assist, one steal and one block in nine minutes.

Game MVP: Cade Cunningham

Cunningham dominated New York from the jump and imposed his will whenever he wanted.

What's next

The Knicks host the Houston Rockets on Saturday night with tip scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points, James Harden added 16 and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Brooklyn Nets 112-84 on Thursday night to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games.

The Cavaliers have also won five straight at home and 11 of their last 12 overall. It was the second straight game and sixth time this season they haven’t trailed in a game.

It was the start of five games in seven days for Cleveland. With a 102-67 lead at the end of the third quarter, head coach Kenny Atkinson rested his starters for the final 12 minutes.

Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and Ochai Agbaji had13 for Brooklyn, which is 5-20 since Dec. 29.

Harden and Mitchell were in sync early. Harden got a steal off a bad pass by Brooklyn’s Noah Clowney and started a fast break. He lobbed a pass to Mitchell for an alley-oop that gave the Cavaliers a 14-3 lead.

Harden made his first six from the field, including three three-pointers. He also had nine assists and five rebounds. Mitchell was 7 of 12 from the field.

Cleveland was up by 18 points at the end of the first quarter. Jarrett Allen scored 10 of his 15 points in the first 12 minutes.

The Cavaliers shot a season-best 64.2 percent from the field in the first half (27 of 42) and had a 70-48 advantage at halftime.

Cleveland’s largest lead of the game and the season was 43 points (102-59) late in the third quarter.

Evan Mobley and Dean Wade returned to the Cleveland lineup. Mobley, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, missed seven games due to a left calf strain and scored 10 points with nine rebounds. Wade had 10 points, including three three-pointers, after being sidelined for three games due to a sprained left ankle.

Up next

Nets: At Oklahoma City on Friday night.

Cavaliers: At Charlotte on Friday night.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Johnson had 32 points and 10 rebounds and CJ McCollum added 23 points as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-107 on Thursday night in the teams' first game after the All-Star break.

Dyson Daniels finished with 15 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 14, and Zaccharie Risacher and Jock Landale each had 10 as the Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with their third win over Philadelphia this season.

Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Rising Stars MVP VJ Edgecombe added 20 for the Sixers, who were without center Joel Embiid, who missed the game due to soreness in his right shin.

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 points and Quentin Grimes scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half for Philly. Andre Drummond contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Sixers lost their third in a row and for the fourth time in five games.

The Hawks built an 11 point lead with approximately six minutes remaining before the Sixers charged back and closed within 108-104 with less than three minutes left. Atlanta closed the game with a 9-3 run that included five points by Johnson, who shot 14 for 16 from the line.

The 76ers said Embiid experienced soreness in his shin while participating in a right knee injury management program over the break. After consulting with doctors, Embiid has received daily treatment, while progressing through on-court work and strength and conditioning.

Coach Nick Nurse said before the game against the Hawks that the plan is to get Embiid on the court on Friday and “see how he looks from there.” Nurse said he “don’t anticipate it being a long time.”

Embiid is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 31 games this season.

Up next

Hawks: Host Miami Heat on Friday.

76ers: At New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

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