The Knicks have strung together back-to-back home wins since dropping 18 straight at Madison Square Garden. Emmanuel Mudiay, Mitchell Robinson and the rest of the Knicks' backups outscored Orlando's by a whopping 75-7 in a 108-103 victory over the previously-hot Magic.
Mudiay finished with 19 points and Robinson added 17, including a free throw that gave New York its first lead at 101-100 with 2:57 left.
The Raptors are back within two games of first-place Milwaukee in the NBA's Eastern Conference standings following Toronto's latest home win against the Celtics. Pascal Siakam delivered 25 points and Kawhi Leonard added 21 as the Raptors blasted Boston, 118-95. Serge Ibaka scored 14 points for Toronto, which has won eight straight at home versus the Celtics. The game became a rout while the Raptors outscored the Celts 36-13 in the second quarter, sending Toronto to its 15th victory in its last 17 home games. Marcus Morris had a team-high 17 points in Boston's fifth loss in seven games.
Checking out Tuesday's other NBA action, Nikola Jokic just missed a triple-double and the Nuggets blew most of an 18-point lead before earning their fifth straight win, 121-112 against Oklahoma City. Jokic provided five free throws in the final moments and finished with 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to help the Nuggets improve to 3-0 versus the Thunder this season. Will Barton added 23 points and Jamal Murray 20 for the Nuggets, who extended their lead in the Northwest Division to four games over the Thunder.
In NBA news, The 76ers' Boban Marjanovic suffered a bone bruise and mild sprain of his right knee in a collision with Pelicans forward Cheick Diallo during Monday's win at New Orleans. Marjanovic needed crutches to get to the team bus and will be evaluated again within the week. Marjanovic scored 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting off the bench versus the Pelicans. The 7-foot-3 Marjanovic has helped fill the void in the middle created by the absence of 7-foot All-Star Joel Embiid, who has missed all three of Philadelphia's games since the All-Star break with a sore left knee. Marjanovic and Embiid will both sit out Thursday's game at Oklahoma City.
Former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson has suffered a stroke. The 48-year-old Anderson recently completed his first season coaching NAIA program Fisk University in Nashville. His wife and the school issued separate statements on the condition of the Georgia Tech star. Neither statement offered additional details. Anderson played for several NBA teams from 1991-2005. He was named an All-Star in 1994 while playing for the Nets, who selected him with the second overall pick in the 1991 draft.
Police are investigating sexual abuse and harassment accusations made by a teacher against former University of Arizona and NBA player Mike Bibby, according to officials in the suburban Phoenix school district where he had been a high school coach. Paradise Valley Unified School District officials said Tuesday that Bibby was terminated from his coaching position at Shadow Mountain High School after they received a copy of a restraining order a teacher brought against him. Meanwhile, Bibby was coaching as recently as Saturday when the boys' basketball team won its fourth consecutive state championship.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In women's basketball, UConn destroyed Wichita State, 84-47.
In top-25 basketball, Coby White scored a career-high 34 points and fifth-ranked North Carolina used a late 7-0 run to beat Syracuse, 93-85. Cameron Johnson added 16 points for the 23-5 Tar Heels, who are 13-2 in the ACC following their 11th win in 12 games.
No. 21 Buffalo notched its 25th straight home win as CJ Massinburg had 23 points and 10 rebounds to rally the Bulls past Akron, 77-64. Nick Perkins scored 25 points and the Bulls outscored the Zips 14-2 over the final four minutes to improve to 25-3 overall and 13-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
In other top-25 finals, third-ranked Duke has lost for the second time in three games since losing freshman Zion Williamson to a knee sprain in the opening minute against North Carolina last week. Ty Outlaw hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining before No. 20 Virginia Tech completed a 77-72 victory over the Blue Devils. Kelly Blackshear Jr. had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Hokies, who beat Duke at Cassell Coliseum for the third consecutive time. Ahmed Hill scored 17 points to help Tech improve to 22-6 overall and 11-5 in the ACC. RJ Barrett scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to keep the Blue Devils from falling to 24-4 overall, 12-3 in the conference.
Fourth-ranked Kentucky rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat Arkansas, 70-66. Tyler Herro had career highs of five 3-pointers and 29 points, including two free throws with five seconds remaining. His long-range baskets 43 seconds apart sparked an 18-3 run over 7:43.
Naz Reid contributed 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in No. 13 LSU's 66-55 win against Texas A&M. Freshman Javonte Smart turned in a second straight productive start in place of ailing point guard Tremont Waters, scoring 17 to help the Tigers move to 13-2 in the SEC.
Freshman Romeo Langford made the go-ahead layup with under a second to go in double-overtime to send Indiana past 19th-ranked Wisconsin, 75-73. Langford provided 22 points and seven rebounds as the Hoosiers ended a five-game skid and dropped the Badgers to 11-6 in the Big Ten.
Freshman Justin Ahrens scored nine of his career-high 29 points during a 68-second span while Ohio State was putting together a 12-2 run in the second half of a 90-70 rout of No. 22 Iowa. Kaleb Wesson chipped in 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Buckeyes beat a ranked team for the first time in five tries this season.
NHL
The Calgary Flames picked up their season-high sixth straight win by beating a fellow division leader. Mike Smith stopped 26 shots and the Flames scored twice less than two minutes apart early in the third period to earn a 3-1 victory against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. The game was tied 1-1 until Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson beat Robin Lehner in a 1:57 span. Mathew Tkachuk also scored in Calgary's second win over the Islanders in a week. The Flames expanded their lead in the NHL's Western Conference and Pacific Division races to five points over San Jose. Josh Bailey had the lone goal for the Isles, who have fallen into a first-place tie with Washington in the Metropolitan Division. New York has two games in hand.
Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk scored 37 seconds apart in the second period of the Bruins' 4-1 victory against the Sharks. Brad Marchand had a short-handed goal and two assists for Boston, which has won eight of nine and has points in 14 straight games.
Philadelphia won for the 14th time in 18 games as Brian Elliott turned back 34 shots in the Flyers' 5-2 verdict over the Sabres. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who stayed hot despite dealing Wayne Simmonds to Nashville at Monday's trade deadline.
The Penguins were 5-2 winners over the Blue Jackets as Jamie McCann scored twice and Matt Murray stopped 21 shots. Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby also scored in Pittsburgh's first win in three games, which puts the Pens a point ahead of Columbus.
The Capitals spotted Ottawa a two-goal lead before T.J. Oshie tallied twice in the second period of the Capitals' 7-2 rout of the Senators. Brett Connolly, Lars Eller and Tom Wilson each had a goal and an assist to help Washington win for the fourth time in five games and catch the Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.
Elswhere on NHL ice, the Wild earned their fourth straight win by getting goals by Jason Zucker and Joel Eriksson 26 seconds apart in the last two minutes of a 3-2 victory at Winnipeg. Brad Hunt had the other goal for Minnesota and Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves as Minnesota dropped the Jets to 1-4-1 in their last six games, keeping Winnipeg one point behind the Central-leading Predators.
Nashville lost to a red-hot team as Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist in the last 7 ½ minutes of the Blues' seventh straight home win, 2-0 over the Predators. Jordan Binnington stopped 19 shots in his fifth shutout since his recall from the minors two months ago.
Max Pacioretty's second goal of the game broke a 1-1 deadlock with 5:08 left before the Golden Knights completed just their fourth win in 14 games, 4-1 against Dallas. Vegas scored three unanswered goals while outshooting the Stars, 21-1 in the final period.
Dougie Hamilton had two goals and an assist in the Hurricanes' 6-1 rout of the Kings. Teuvo Teravainen added a goal and three assists as Carolina won for the sixth time in seven games to move into a seventh-place tie with Pittsburgh in the East.
Montreal crushed the Red Wings, 8-1 behind Andrew Shaw's hat trick and Max Domi's five-point performance. Domi scored twice and had three assists in Montreal's third win in nine games, putting the Habs sixth in the East and keeping them one point ahead of Pittsburgh and Carolina.
Vinnie Hinostroza, Nick Cousins and Alex Galchenyuk each scored shootout goals as the Coyotes outlasted the Panthers, 4-3. Derek Stepan's second goal of the night tied the game with 6:29 left in regulation.
MLB
Mets third baseman Todd Frazier injured his left oblique muscle and will return to New York for a cortisone injection. He's the second Mets infielder to get hurt at spring training after fellow infielder Jed Lowrie.
Elsewhere in baseball, the Colorado Rockies will keep their top player for a few more years. The team has announced the signing of All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to an eight-year contract. A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the deal is worth $260 million with an average value of $32.5 million. The agreement includes a provision that allows Arenado to opt out after three years and become a free agent. The 27-year-old Arenado has been an All-Star and a top-10 MVP selection each of the last four seasons, and has won a Gold Glove each of his six big league seasons. He belted 38 home runs in 2018 to lead the National League for the third time in four years. Arenado is a lifetime 291 hitter with 186 home runs and 616 RBIs.
The Cardinals and All-Star right-hander Miles Mikolas have agreed to a contract adding $68 million in guaranteed money from 2020-23. Mikolas was outstanding for the Redbirds last season, going 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts following a three-year stint with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League. He would have been eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.
Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez had a platelet rich plasma injection Monday to stimulate healing in his weak pitching shoulder and likely will not be in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season. Martinez has missed the past week of spring training, and the Redbirds say he won't throw for two weeks.
Infielder Logan Forsythe has agreed to a minor league contract with the Rangers and will be at major league spring training. Chase d'Arnaud and Christian Lopes are also in camp on minor league deals, but both sidelined with strained oblique muscles.
NFL
The NFL's competition committee discussed the league's replay system during its annual meeting in Indianapolis but reached no consensus on possible changes. Giants owner John Mara told a handful of reporters he didn't sense a "lot of support" among committee members for an overhaul to the system. While the sentiment could change between now and next month's owner's meetings in Phoenix, Mara is skeptical any significant proposal will be passed.
In other NFL news, Randy Gregory is in more trouble with the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys defensive end has been suspended indefinitely for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, the fourth time the troubled player has been banned by the NFL. The suspension comes about seven months after Gregory was reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell following a lengthy process aimed at reviving his career. Gregory had his best year in 2018, posting career highs with six sacks and 14 games.
The 49ers have placed the franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould, who will make about $5 million this season. Gould has been the NFL's most accurate kicker during his two seasons with San Francisco and could have been a target to return to the Bears if he hit the open market. Chicago is planning to release kicker Cody Parkey after he missed a field goal off the left upright and crossbar in the closing seconds of a 16-15 wild-card loss to Philadelphia.
The Ravens have released Michael Crabtree after one season with the team. Crabtree caught 54 passes for 607 yards and three touchdowns in 2018, but he managed just 11 receptions and one TD over his final seven games after Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback.
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