Jalen Brunson was praised for his "special" ability by New York Knicks teammate Donte DiVincenzo after he had 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help his team get past the Washington Wizards.
New York won 113-107 after Brunson shot 14 of 27 from the field and scored 18 of the Knicks’ 21 points during a long stretch of the fourth quarter, as they extended a one-point lead to 105-97 with 86 seconds to play.
Julius Randle added 21 points, while DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby each had 19 to help the Knicks improve to 8-2 since acquiring Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors.
Jordan Poole scored 24 points for Washington, which has lost eight of nine.
The Wizards looked frustrated after consistently appearing to have blocked Brunson's lane to the basket, only for the guard to spin away from trouble to get a shot up or draw a foul.
Brunson has scored 29 or more points in six of the last seven games he has played.
"That is what great players do to teams. They get you frustrated and they get you upset," DiVincenzo said, per ESPN.
"You do everything you can defensively and they still make a tough shot. But I think Jalen, what makes him special is he makes the right play every time."
Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said: "It is frustrating and to his credit he is a hard one to guard – very shifty."
Brunson ended up scoring 20 points in his impressive fourth quarter.
"You are at the end of the game, you are trying to win, so it is a little different," he said. "But I mean, the approach stays the same. I think I had the same attacking mindset."
The Knicks (25-17) have a 13-5 record at home this season and are back in action when they host the Raptors (16-26) on Saturday.
Toronto is slumping after losing six of its last eight games, including a 116-110 loss at home to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes had 31 points, just one short of his career high, but the Bulls prevailed after Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 14 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points against his former team.
Celtics' Porzingis off injury report for Game 1 of NBA Finals against Mavericks
The Boston Celtics will get starting centre Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It was reported Tuesday that he would return, and when asked by reporters on Wednesday, he said he would be back.
"I'll play tomorrow," he said.
The Celtics later submitted their official injury report and he was not included.
Porzingis sustained a right calf strain in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29 after averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds in the first three meetings.
Al Horford moved into the starting lineup after Porzingis went down and averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games as Boston went 9-1 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last June, and the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games for Boston this season.
Porzingis spent part of three seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2022.
Irving 'the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen', says James
Kyrie Irving is the "most gifted player the NBA has ever seen" and holds the key to the Dallas Mavericks' chances of victory in the NBA Finals, according to former team-mate LeBron James.
James and Irving played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, making the NBA Finals in each of those seasons and triumphing in 2015-16.
Irving then enjoyed stints with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before joining Dallas last February.
He has been in great form during the offseason, averaging 22.8 points and 5.2 assists as well as shooting 48.5 per cent from the field to help put Dallas in contention for their second NBA championship.
Speaking on an episode of his 'Mind the Game' podcast, James said of Irving: "I'm so happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth.
"I'm so f****** mad at the same time that I'm not his running mate any more.
"I would call Kyrie 'the wizard' all the time. There was nothing on a basketball floor that Kyrie couldn't do."
James highlighted Irving's performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, when he scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the standout moment of this postseason.
While Boston may be favourites for the NBA Finals, which tip off on Thursday at TD Garden, James says Irving's ability gives Dallas a chance.
"That was like, 'oh s***, Dallas may be able to not only win the Western Conference finals, they might be able to win the whole thing'," James said of Irving's Game 1 display.
"Because of that wild card. He's the most gifted player the NBA has ever seen."
Celtics’ Porzingis expected to return for Game 1 of NBA Finals against Mavericks
The Boston Celtics are expected to get starting center Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup on Thursday when they host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Porzingis sustained a right calf strain in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29 after averaging 14 points and 5.7 rebounds in the first three meetings.
Al Horford moved into the starting lineup after Porzingis went down and averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 10 games as Boston went 9-1 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
The Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Washington Wizards last June, and the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games for Boston this season.
Porzingis spent part of three seasons with Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2022.
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