The New York Knicks have pulled off one of the most impressive wins of their otherwise forgettable season. Rookie guard RJ Barrett tied his season high with 27 points as the Knicks downed the Houston Rockets, 125-123.
Julius Randle added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who held on after building a 21-point lead. New York ended Houston's six-game winning streak and beat the Rockets at Madison Square Garden for the first time since January 2009. James Harden missed his first eight 3-point attempts before finishing with 35 points and eight assists for the Rockets. Russell Westbrook had 24 points and nine rebounds but missed a pull-up jumper on Houston's final attempt.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat are the first team to beat the Bucks twice this season. Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler each scored 18 points in the Heat's 105-89 downing of Milwaukee. Bam Adebayo had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat, who improved to 39-22 and matched their win total from last season with 19 games remaining. The Bucks established a season-low for points, with Brook Lopez providing a team-high 21. Giannis Antetokounmpo grabbed 15 rebounds but matched a season-low with 13 points on 6 for 18 shooting.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points and T.J. Warren added 23 to push the Pacers past the Spurs. Indiana squandered a 15-point, second-half lead before earning its fourth straight win, putting the Pacers in a fifth-place tie with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference. The Spurs lost for the eighth time in 11 games despite going ahead 102-98 with 6:44 remaining.
The Bulls eked out a 109-107 win over the Mavericks behind Otto Porter Jr., who delivered 18 points in his return from a broken left foot. Coby White scored 19 points to help Chicago win without leading scorer Zach Lavine. Luka Doncic scored 23 for Dallas but missed a potential game-winning, 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Jazz got their four-game road trip off to a good start as Bojan Bogdanovic provided 28 points and Rudy Gobert added 20 in a 126-113 victory at Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine rebounds for Utah, which made 20 3-pointers while staying in the fifth playoff spot out West. Bogdanovic buried a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Jazz won for the second time in six games.
C.J. McCollum poured in 41 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 24 in the Trail Blazers' romp over the Magic in Orlando. Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Portland ended a 3-game losing streak. The Blazers took control by outscoring Orlando 38-19 in the final period.
Gorgui Dieng contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds while the Grizzlies were holding the Hawks to 32% shooting in a 127-88 dismantling of Atlanta. Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points with 15 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had nine players score in double figures. The Hawks were denied their first three-game winning streak of the season and suffered the third loss in their last 11 home games.
In NBA news, the New York Knicks officially have named Leon Rose as their president, hoping the longtime player agent can be just as successful as an executive. Rose is taking over what has become one of the NBA's worst franchises, headed toward its seventh straight season out of the playoffs. Teams such as Golden State and the Lakers have found success handing their basketball operations to an agent. Rose is the former co-head of the basketball division at CAA Sports. He replaces Steve Mills, who was fired early last month.
The NBA has told teams to avoid high-fiving fans and strangers and avoid taking any item for autographs. It's the league's latest response in its ongoing monitoring of the coronavirus crisis that has spread to most corners of the planet. In a memo sent to teams on Sunday and obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA has offered 10 recommendations to players with hopes of decreasing risks of getting the virus. Those recommendations include not taking items such as pens, markers, balls and jerseys from autograph-seekers. The NBA also told teams that it is consulting "with infectious disease experts, including the Centers for Disease Control" and infectious disease researchers at Columbia University in New York.
All-Star guard Luka Doncic was back in the Dallas Mavericks' lineup tonight against the Bulls in Chicago after missing a game because of a sprained left thumb. The thumb began to bother Doncic during Friday's loss to Miami, prompting the team to keep him out of last night's win at Minnesota. The second-year player is averaging team highs of 28.6 points and 8.8 assists per game this season. The Mavericks held out Kristaps Porzingis against the Bulls a day after he tied a season high with 38 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo missed Monday's game against San Antonio after experiencing swelling in his right knee following the morning shootaround. Oladipo returned to action Jan. 20 from a ruptured quad tendon that forced him to miss more than a full calendar year. Pacers coach Nate McMillan said it's too early to know how long Oladipo will be out.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In women's college basketball, Manhattan rolled over Iona 59-47, and UConn destroyed USF 80-39.
In men's top-25 basketball, Baylor and Duke were able to earn bounce-back wins. The fourth-ranked Bears had dropped two of three since a Big-12-record 23-game winning streak, and the No. 12 Blue Devils were losers in three of their previous four games. In Waco, MaCio Teague hit a 3-pointer with 1:13 left in overtime to help Baylor escape with a 71-68 triumph over Texas Tech. Teague stepped back behind the line and just beat the shot clock to put the Bears ahead 69-65. Baylor sealed the game with Jared Butler's steal and his two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Devonte Bandoo had 18 points and Butler 17 for the Bears.
In Durham, freshman Cassius Stanley scored 14 of his 18 points after halftime as the Blue Devils beat North Carolina State, 88-69. Fellow rookie Vernon Carey Jr. added 17 points for the Blue Devils, who shot 63% after halftime and had a run of 17 straight scoring possessions to build a big lead. Duke's last meeting with the Wolfpack was an 88-66 loss at Raleigh two weeks ago, coach Mike Krzyzewski's most lopsided loss to an unranked opponent in his four decades leading the program. N.C. State managed one field goal over the last four minutes of the first half before shooting just 38% after halftime.
In college basketball news, Georgia Tech has withdrawn its appeal of NCAA penalties against its men's basketball program and will not lay in this month's ACC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets received a one-year ban on postseason play as well as scholarship reductions and limits on official visits. By saying Monday it would accept those penalties this year, Georgia Tech is assured of being eligible to compete in the postseason next year and beyond.
Illinois says it has rewarded basketball coach Brad Underwood for a significant jump this season, giving him a three-year contract extension through 2026. The move comes with the 23rd-ranked Illini challenging for the Big Ten Conference championship in Underwood's third season after going 26-39 during his first two years at the helm. They are 20-9 overall and tied for second in conference play with Michigan State and Wisconsin at 12-6, a game behind Maryland.
Kansas is the unanimous No. 1 in a week of upheaval in men's college basketball. The Jayhawks received all 64 first-place votes from the media panel in The Associated Press poll. Gonzaga was No. 2, with Dayton, Baylor and San Diego State rounding out the top five. Sixth-ranked Kentucky is followed by Florida State, Seton Hall, Maryland and Louisville. The Aztecs, Terrapins and No. 18 Iowa were the only teams to hold their place after a week in which nine Top 25 teams lost to unranked opponents. Dayton has its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in 1955-56 after stretching its winning streak to 18 games. Virginia, Illinois and Wisconsin moved into the poll. West Virginia, Colorado and Texas Tech fell out.
NHL
The Edmonton Oilers' dynamic duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid collected five points apiece at the expense of the Nashville Predators on Monday. Draisaitl added to his NHL-leading point total by furnishing four goals and an assist as the Oilers blew out the Predators, 8-3. McDavid added a goal and four assists in a game that was tied 3-3 until Edmonton erupted for five goals in the third period. Draisaitl's team-high 43rd goal of the season chased Pekka Rinne from the nets midway through the third period. Draisaitl has 107 points, 13 more than No. 2 McDavid in the league points race.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues' lead in the NHL's Central Division is down to one point over Colorado after the Avalanche eked out their seventh straight win. Logan O'Connor's second goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie in the second period of the Avs' 2-1 triumph at Detroit. Vladislav Namestnikov also scored and backup Michael Hutchinson faced just 18 shots in picking up his fifth win in 15 decisions. Each of Colorado's last six wins have been by one goal.
In NHL news, NHL general managers seem unlikely to suggest changes to the emergency backup goaltender policy, even after 42-year-old Zamboni driver David Ayres became one of the biggest stories of the season by winning a game for Carolina last month. The issue was among the discussion points during the first three days of GM meetings. The apparent consensus was that emergency goaltenders are called upon so rarely that any reaction now would likely feel like an overreaction.
NFL
Standout defensive end Yannick Ngakoue no longer wants to sign a long-term deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ngakoue announced his desire to play elsewhere via social media. It could force Jacksonville to place the franchise tag on the 24-year-old disgruntled defender and trade him. Ngakoue has 37 1/2 sacks and 14 forced fumbles in four seasons. The speedy strip-sack specialist made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and had been seeking around $22 million a year to remain in Jacksonville.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
A Superior Court judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a former college football player charged with violating North Carolina's sports agent law nearly a decade ago. Christopher Hawkins faced four counts tied to providing cash to three former Tar Heels football players in 2010. But after more than seven hours of deliberations Friday afternoon and Monday, the jury informed the judge that it couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on any charge.
PGA
U.S. golfer Dustin Johnson will not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, according to his manager. Johnson's name was removed from the Olympic golf ranking Monday afternoon. At No. 5 in the world ranking, he currently would have been No. 3 among Americans behind Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas. Countries are allowed a maximum of four players in golf provided they are among the top 15 in the world ranking.
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