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Two nights, two games, two different Knicks (35*-20) teams.

Last night, the Knicks fell in overtime to the lowly Indiana Pacers, dropping a game that should’ve been a gimme and playing the worst defense of their season. Tonight, they travelled to Philadelphia to battle the sixth-place 76ers (30-24). With vastly improved defense, domination in the frontcourt, a franchise-record 24 first-half assists, and a total eruption by the freshly minted Jose Alvarado, the outcome was completely flipped. New York burned the Xfinity Mobile Arena to the ground and won, 138-89.

As mentioned by chinaski1980, this was the “Largest point margin ever against the 76ers.” The win splits the season series. Weirdly, the road team won all four games, although the Knicks fans in attendance made this one sound almost like a home game.

The first quarter was like a beautiful dream. Our heroes displayed no fatigue from last night’s bummer against the Pacers, and Mikal Bridges led the way, contributing nine of the Knicks’ initial 16-4 run. He scored 13 in the quarter and 22 overall on 9-of-15.

Through the first 12 minutes, New York won the paint 20-12 (with Karl-Anthony Towns scoring seven of those), made seven of their first nine shots, and assisted on 11 of their 15 first-quarter field goals. Their lead peaked at 14 points, thanks to a tighter defense (steals for Bridges and Hart, a block for Towns) that forced four Philadelphia turnovers. Towns finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Off the bench, Mohamed Diawara (14 PTS, 4-8 3PT) swished a three, redeeming his dud performance last night. Then, with a minute left, Mitchell Robinson tried to drive a rebound to the hoop but was dropped by Trendon Watford. While Mitch lay on the floor, Watford stood over him. The newest Knick, Jose Alvarado, took exception, told Watford so, and tensions rose. Philly’s Nick Nurse entered the court, trying to break up the congregating players. The coach and Alvarado were assessed offsetting techs. Watching Jose—26 PTS, 8-13 3PT, 5 steals, four assists, three boards, and +35 in 19 minutes—I can’t help thinking what fun Thibs would have had with such a magnificent menace.

New York won the first quarter, 36-23, and the good vibes continued in the second. Diawara drilled again from deep. Alvarado hit back-to-back triples early in the second quarter, and then a third at the midway point. New York was on a 9-0 run, going up by 27. The stadium rocked with Let’s Go Knicks chants. Philly’s supporters tried to drown them out to no avail.

With Joel Embiid out, Nurse started Adem Bona at center. Neither Bona nor Andre Drummond (2 PTS, 4 RBS) could contain KAT and Mitch. Through the half, the former had 16 points, the latter had four blocks. For one delightful stretch, Coach Mike Brown played a lineup that included Jalen Brunson (8 PTS, 30 MIN), Alvarado, Towns, and Robinson. The height in the frontcourt compensated for the height in the backcourt.

Tyrese Maxey (32 PTS, 9-21 FG) tried to keep Philadelphia afloat, but his was mostly a solo performance. By halftime, New York was steamrolling the Cheesesteaks, 72-42.

The Knicks’ 24 assists set a franchise record for a half. They had outshot the home team 58% to 35% from the field and 50% to 13% (2-of-15) from deep, beat them in the paint (34-24), and won the glass (26-20). Bridges and Maxey led their teams with 19 points apiece.

Out of the intermission, the Knicks promptly pushed the lead to 33 points, then got sloppy, turning the ball over twice. Philly didn’t capitalize on New York’s mistakes, however. Maxey did his best but received scant assistance from VJ Edgecombe (14 PTS, 0-5 3PT) and Dominick Barlow (13 PTS), and no help from Kelly Oubre, Jr. (2 PTS, 0-6 FG, 30 MIN), Bona (6 PTS, 5 RBS), or their bench.

Maxey and Edgecombe trimmed the differential from 34 to 22 by the three-minute mark. Towards the end of the frame, Nurse resorted to hack-a-Mitch. The big fella went 5-of-8 from the line, so joke’s on you, jerk. Mitch finished with 11 points and six points to go with those four blocks.

With Alvarado adding another triple and Clarkson scoring seven points, New York regained a hefty lead by the break. 104-71 after three.

To start the fourth, Alvarado stroked another three-ball, then jumped a passing lane for his second steal, THEN hit another trey. And another. Pinch me, I’m in love—and so was the half of the crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena that was chanting Jose! Jose! Jose!

The Knicks were up by 40, so Brown thought it safe to field an assortment of Alvarado, Tyler Kolek, Diawara (who hit another longball), Kevin McCullar, Jr., and Ariel Hukporti. Sweet lord, Alvarado had back-to-back steals, then hit a career-tying eighth three-pointer. After that, Brown decided Jose deserved a rest and subbed him out. Diawara and Kolek hit from deep, Hukporti dunked, and every Knick available scored. What a win to carry them into the break.

Up Next

Like an oasis in the NBA desert, the All-Star break awaits. Rest up, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup Final doesn’t count. Email your commissioner.

When you have Paul Reed, anything is possible. When you have Paul Reed and a Cade Cunningham who is hitting his threes, the Detroit Pistons are nearly unstoppable. Add those ingredients to an absolutely locked-in, suffocating team defense, and Detroit is invincible. The Pistons had everything going in a 113-95 road win over the Raptors.

Detroit entered tonight without three of its top eight players, with its top two big men in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart suspended and Ron Holland out for personal reasons. It did not matter. It just allowed Paul Reed to shine.

Reed went 7-of-7 from the floor in the first quarter for 15 points. He hit a three, he cut into the lane for dunks, he used fancy footwork to knife his way to the rim, and he blocked shots. He did it all. He finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and three assists. It was a vintage B-Ball Paul performance.

He wasn’t the only player to shine for the Pistons, though. Cade Cunnigham looked like he wanted to show the world why he was one of the leading vote-getters for the All-Star team with an absolutely dominant performance. He scored 28 points, hit four threes, added nine assists, and seven rebounds. He also played zero minutes in the fourth quarter because the Pistons had the game well in hand.

Detroit built up a 14-point lead in the second quarter, and aside from a couple quick spurts from Toronto that it was able to respond to, that is where the game hovered for the majority. Detroit’s team defense was absolutely on point tonight, and only got stronger as the night went along. The Pistons held Toronto to 43 second-half points en route to ballooning its lead to as high as 23 before letting the reserves get plenty of garbage-time action.

Tobias Harris added a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double as the veteran took on more of the rebounding load in the absence of his two big men. Things were going so well for the Pistons that Kevin Huerter even hit a 3-pointer for his new team. It was his first with the club. Hopefully it was the first of many to come.

The Raptors were able to stay competitive early with some hot 3-point shooting, but eventually cooled off and faded away. They finished 10-of-32 from deep on the night. They were led by 18 points from Immanuel Quickley and 17 points from Scottie Barnes.

The Pistons enter the All-Star break 40-13 and are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fewest losses in the NBA. When the final buzzer sounded they had a six-game lead in the East and prepare for a fun All-Star weekend that will feature both Cunningham and Duren.

It’s been a hell of a season so far, and this doesn’t strike me as a team that is going to let up anytime soon.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jose Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and Mikal Bridges added 22 points as the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 138-89 Wednesday night.

The Knicks bounced back from an overtime home lost to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for their 10th win in 12 games. Two of those victories have come against the Sixers. The teams split their four-game season series.

Alvarado, acquired last week from New Orleans, shot 8 for 13 from 3-point range and finished with five steals.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mohamed Diawara scored 14 points. Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points against the Pacers, scored eight on Tuesday.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points in three quarters for the 76ers, who played without center Joel Embiid, who sat due to right knee soreness. VJ Edgecombe added 14 points, and Dominick Barlow scored 13.

The 76ers, who lost their second straight and for the third time in four games, were held to a season-low point total, just their third game under 100 points this season.

The Knicks jumped out to a 16-4 lead thanks to nine points from Bridges. They led by 30 at the half. The Knicks shot 58% from the field in the first half, paced by 19 points from Bridges and 16 from Towns. They finished with a season-high 41 assists.

Embiid missed his second straight game. He hadn’t missed consecutive games since Dec. 19-20. Quentin Grimes missed a second straight game due to illness.

OG Anunoby missed this fourth straight game for the Knicks with a right toenail avulsion.

Up next

Knicks: Host the Detroit Piston on Thursday, Feb. 19.

76ers: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, Feb. 19.

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

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won five straight after knocking down the Washington Wizards 138-113.

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

Donovan Mitchell

30 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

The Cavs can thank Mitchell for dragging them through the early stretch of the season. Now? All systems are cleared for takeoff as Cleveland has one of the best players in the league, with the best record since late December, and one of the easiest remaining schedules.

Grade: A+

James Harden

13 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds

Harden looks like he’s playing in a sandbox. With a dominant pick-and-roll partner and three-point shooters galore around him, we’ve seen Harden dish the ball at an elite level over his last three games. Tonight was no different.

He might have only taken four shot attempts, but he managed to get himself to the line for 12 free throws.

Grade: A–

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Jarrett Allen

21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Beast mode.

That’s the only way to describe the last week Allen has played. Another 25 points and 9 rebounds feels too easy, at this point.

Grade: A+

Jaylon Tyson

7 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds

Tyson didn’t have his shot falling tonight. That’s no big deal; the Cavs didn’t need him to score. He finished as a plus-19 despite shooting 2-6 from the floor.

Grade: C+

Keon Ellis

6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Ellis will quickly earn rotation minutes if he plays like this. Quality off-ball movement, disruptive defense, and efficient shooting. These are all the makings of a fine role player.

Grade: A-

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals

Is it too late to enter Qwan into the dunk contest?

At one point in this game, Tomlin picked someone’s pockets and then threw down a viscious windmill dunk. It’s the type of stuff that’s become common for this newly minted NBA wing.

Grade: B+

Dennis Schroder

7 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Schroder struggled from the floor but made up for it by getting to the free-throw line and going 5-5.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

32 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

Whew, this was a heat check if I’ve ever seen one.

Merrill shot 7-for-7 from deep in the first half, lighting up the Wizards for 26 points without even missing a shot. He finished the game with a career-high 32 points and only missed one field goal. Sammy, this was something special.

Grade: A+++

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Chazadi Wright scored 21 points, Hannah Stuelke posted her seventh double-double this season, and 15th-ranked Iowa beat No. 25 Washington 65-56 on Wednesday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Wright finished 5 of 8 from 3-point range and distributed a team-high four assists. Stuelke scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, and Ava Heiden added 11 points for Iowa (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten).

Elle Ladine scored 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Sayvia Sellers added 14 points and Avery Howell grabbed 10 rebounds for the Huskies (18-7, 8-6).

Both teams shot 46% from the field, with each shooting 25 of 54.

Sellers made two foul shots to bring Washington within 51-47 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. But Wright followed with a four-point play for a 55-47 advantage and the Hawkeyes maintained a safe margin from there.

Iowa outscored the Huskies 17-5 in the second quarter as Washington was 2-of-9 shooting without a trip to the foul line.

Up next

Washington: Hosts Oregon on Sunday.

Iowa: Travels to Nebraska on Monday.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Washington Wizards 138-113. This is Cleveland’s fifth consecutive win. They have turned their season around and are rolling into the All-Star break with style.

Sam Merrill stole the show in this one. He erupted for 26 points in the first half while shooting 7-of-7 from deep and 9-for-9 from the floor. He’s tied for the most consecutive three-point makes in the opening half of a game since at least 2002-03.

Merrill finished with a career-high 32 points and 9 three-pointers. He put on a masterclass in moving without the ball and scoring with efficiency. There aren’t many things more entertaining than watching a sharpshooter like Merrill catch fire.

Donovan Mitchell was pretty good, too. He scored 30 points for the 28th time this season and 99th time as a member of the Cavaliers. This has been the best season of Mitchell’s career as he’s kept this team afloat at their worst and pushed them into title contention at their best. It’s no surprise that Mitchell will be representing the Cavs as an All-Star this weekend.

Other Cavaliers that deserve a shout-out include Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who recorded a handful of impressive steals and threw down a windmill slam. And James Harden, whose behind-the-back pocket pass is one of the nastiest things I’ve seen all season.

Jarrett Allen had 21 points and 9 rebounds, falling just short of his fifth consecutive double-double. Allen has been on a tear recently, and he didn’t even miss a shot tonight (8-8 from the floor).

This wasn’t just a dominant game against a lottery-dwelling team like the Wizards. It was another strong performance in a string of big games that has put the Cavaliers back into the NBA’s upper echelon. They are quickly climbing up the standings and will have a full week off to get healthy following the All-Star Break.

TWIN LAKES, Iowa (AP) — A community college bus carrying the school’s baseball team crashed and overturned in a ditch in rural Iowa on Wednesday, authorities and media reports said, killing one person and injuring all the other 32 occupants.

The 11 a.m. crash involved the Iowa Lakes Community College bus and no other vehicles, the Iowa State Patrol said in a statement. It occurred on a highway near Twin Lakes, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines.

Three people were airlifted to trauma hospitals in Des Moines, said Bruce Musgrave, director of Calhoun County emergency services, and others were taken by ambulance to four hospitals in the area.

KTIV reported that the college’s baseball team was on board.

The Iowa State Patrol is investigating.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Latrell Wrightsell Jr. tied his career high with seven 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, Labaron Philon scored 18, and Alabama overcame a cold-shooting start to beat Mississippi 93-74 on Wednesday night and extended the Rebels' losing streak to six games.

Charles Bediako did not play for the Crimson Tide after his motion for a preliminary injunction was denied in circuit court. The 7-foot center played two years at Alabama before he went undrafted in 2023 and appeared in 37 games across three seasons in the NBA G League.

Aiden Sherrell scored 15 points and Amari Allen had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC). Aden Holloway added 12 points and six assists.

AJ Storr led Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8) with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Eduardo Klafke had 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Klafke, a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard, scored 10 points or more for the third consecutive game and the fourth of his career.

Sherrell scored the first seven points while Wrightsell, Allen and Holloway each hit a 3 in a 19-6 run that gave Alabama a 51-38 lead with 13:38 left in the game, and it was at least a two-possession game the rest of the way.

Storr scored 13 points — including the Rebels' first 11 — in a 15-5 run that gave them a nine-point lead with 9:10 left in the first half. Alabama scored 11 of the next 13 before Allen and Philon made back-to-back 3-pointers and Holloway added a layup to give the Crimson Tide a 32-30 lead in the intermission — their lowest-scoring first half this season. Ole Miss went 0 for 10 from the field over a span of about 6 1/2 minutes in the first half.

The Crimson Tide shot 53% from the field, made 12 of their 22 3-pointers and scored 61 points in second half.

Up next

Alabama: Hosts South Carolina on Saturday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday.

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