Jalen Brunson was emotional after a night which saw him being voted a first-time All-Star before leading the New York Knicks to a comeback win.

The Knicks overcame the loss of two starters again to rally for their ninth straight NBA victory, 109-105 over the Indiana Pacers, with Brunson pouring in 40 points hours after getting his All-Star nod.

Brunson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help win a game in which the Knicks had trailed by 15 points. 

He shook off an eye injury late in the game and made a driving layup with 1:46 remaining to give the Knicks the lead for good on Thursday.

Donte DiVincenzo added 20 points, Miles McBride had 16 off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 19 rebounds for New York, which was again without starters Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, with Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes also out.

The Knicks, coming off a 14-2 January, have won nine in a row for the first time since a 13-game run in 2013 and moved to within a half-game of the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference standings before they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

But this night was about Brunson, who continued his spectacular season and was serenaded with MVP chants at Madison Square Garden.

"It was really cool, the whole experience, the night, how we won and obviously what happened before the game," said Brunson.

"You always work for certain moments, but you never know how to react when they happen. 

"So it was special. When the game's going, you're focused and when it's over you kind of relax and realize what's going on.

"It's definitely different at that point. So, really thankful for the fans and what they've done for myself, my family and this team."

Brunson’s exploits meant the Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped despite Jalen Smith scoring 22 points and Aaron Nesmith having 17.

Asked about Brunson’s growth, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said: "It's surreal. Each step of the way, there's always been naysayers, and he always proves them wrong.

"You just love his competitiveness and he never goes away."

DiVincenzo is getting used to praising Brunson in his post-game interviews, smiling to reporters that he was not sure what else he could say.

"He did exactly what everybody expects him to do and what he has been doing all season long," added DiVincenzo.

"The dude is an All-Star. He's having an MVP-caliber season right now. He should be the player of the month this month.

"What else can I say? The dude's doing everything he possibly can for us to win games. It's not easy right now with Julius going down, OG going down, Mitch not being here. 

"Everything's been thrown against us and he's still willing us to win games."

While the Knicks have a day to prepare for their big clash with the Lakers, Indiana (27-22) is straight back in action at home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

All-Star Jalen Brunson poured in 40 points and the New York Knicks overcame the loss of two starters again to rally for their ninth straight victory, 109-105 over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

Hours after being voted a first-time All-Star, Brunson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter in a game the Knicks trailed by 15 points. He shook off an eye injury late in the game and made a driving layup with 1:46 remaining to give the Knicks the lead for good.

Donte DiVincenzo added 20 points, Miles McBride had 16 off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 19 rebounds for New York, which was again without starters Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.

The Knicks, coming off a 14-2 January, have won nine in a row for the first time since a 13-game run from March 18-April 9, 2013.

Jalen Smith scored 22 points and Aaron Nesmith had 17 as the Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Maxey drops 49 as 76ers win

All-Star Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 51 points with seven 3-pointers and Tobias Harris added 28 points as the Philadelphia 76ers stopped a four-game losing streak with a 127-124 win over the Utah Jazz.

Maxey shot 17 of 27 from the field, hit 7 of 9 from beyond the arc and was 10 of 11 from the line. He surpassed his previous career high of 50 points - set Nov. 12 at home against Indiana – with two free throws with 4.1 seconds left.

He joined Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid as the only 76ers to score 50 points in multiple games in a single season.

Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Collin Sexton scored 22 for Utah, which has lost five of seven.

Short-handed Lakers stun Celtics

Austin Reaves scored a season-high 32 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers as the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers defeated the league-leading Boston Celtics, 114-105.

The Lakers became just the third team this season to beat the Celtics at home despite playing without top scorers LeBron James (left ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles tendon and left hip spasms).

D’Angelo Russell had 16 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds and Jaxson Hayes added 16 points and 10 boards for Los Angeles, which made 19 of 36 3-pointers.

Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and Kristaps Porzingis and Sam Hauser added 17 apiece. The Celtics have lost three of five at home after a 20-0 start at TD Garden.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 33 points with a career-high nine 3-pointers and the New York Knicks rolled to their eighth straight victory, 118-103 over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

Jalen Brunson had 29 points and nine assists and Precious Achiuwa matched a season high with 18 points as the Knicks concluded a 14-2 January. That is their most wins in a month since going 14-0 in March 1994 and just one short of their most ever, a 15-3 record in December 1968.

New York was again without starting forwards Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, but Josh Hart had his first career triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best 10 assists and Isaiah Hartenstein added 14 points and 12 boards.

Collin Sexton scored 22 points for the Jazz, who lost in New York for the second straight night to close their road trip at 2-4.

The Knicks took control by outscoring Utah 36-24 in the third quarter, turning a 57-49 halftime lead into a 93-73 cushion entering the fourth.

Tatum lifts Celtics over Pacers

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and came up with two blocks in the final 30 seconds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 129-124 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Jaylen Brown had 25 points and Derrick White added 24 for Boston, which won its fifth in six games to improve the NBA’s best record to 37-11.

Kristaps Porzingis contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds in his return after missing two games with a sprained left ankle.

Aaron Nesmith had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 23 as Indiana had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Curry leads Warriors as Embiid limps off

Stephen Curry scored 37 points with eight 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors sent the Philadelphia 76ers to their fourth straight loss, 119-107.

Jonathan Kuminga added 26 points and Andrew Wiggins had 23 to help the Warriors win for just the third time in nine games.

Tobias Harris had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia and Embiid scored 14 points before limping to the locker room with 4:04 remaining after Kuminga fell on his left knee.

Curry, who also had eight rebounds and seven assists, shot 12 for 17 from the field in his third straight 30-point game. It was his third consecutive game with at least six 3s with 25 or more points.

The Denver Nuggets "played like a tired team" in their defeat to the New York Knicks, said head coach Michael Malone.

Denver – who sit third in the Western Conference – were beaten 122-84 in Thursday's road game.

Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 11 rebounds, but the Nuggets could not extend their three-game winning streak.

Thursday's game was the Nuggets' second in the space of 48 hours, and Malone believes the fatigue showed.

"We played like a very tired team," Malone said.

"I thought it was a very disappointing ending to the road trip.

"You never want to get blown out, which is what happened tonight. And we live to fight another day.

"All of our focus right now is getting home, getting some rest tomorrow, and thankful that the NBA gave us a matinee game [against the Philadelphia 76ers] on Saturday."

Jokic took a poke to the eye from Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo during the second quarter.

"It was painful of course, but hopefully it's going to be OK," said the two-time MVP, who added: "[The Knicks] were just more aggressive. One team basically on the floor today. We were not there today."

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 26 points, and Malone labelled the small forward as "outstanding".

"There's a reason the crowd was chanting 'OG.' He was outstanding," Malone said.

"He brings defense. He brings offense. He brings toughness. He brings physicality.

"He and the rest of the guys in the New York Knicks uniforms tonight, they were terrific from beginning to end."

The Knicks, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, have won their last five games.

Nikola Jokic scored 31 points as part of his league-leading 13th triple-double of the season and Jamal Murray also had 31 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 114-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

Jokic sealed Denver’s third straight win with a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds remaining. He leads all active players with 118 triple-doubles.

Myles Turner had 22 points and Pascal Siakam added 16 with 10 rebounds in his first home game since the Pacers acquired him from Toronto last week.

Indiana lost its third in a row overall and eighth straight against Denver.

The Nuggets took a 93-81 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Pacers took the lead 103-102 on Ben Sheppard’s 3-pointer with 3:42 left.

Jokic’s layup with 1:38 to play gave Denver the lead for good and Murray’s running finger roll 22 seconds later made it 111-107.

McCollum sinks 9 3-pointers as Pelicans erupt

CJ McCollum matched his season high with 33 points and went 9 for 13 from 3-point range as the New Orleans Pelicans set a franchise scoring record in a 153-124 win over the Utah Jazz.

Zion Williamson added 17 points and a career-high 11 assists and Herb Jones scored 22 points for the Pelicans, who surpassed their previous franchise record of 149 points in a win over Sacramento in October 2018.

McCollum shot 11 of 17 from the field and New Orleans connected on half its attempts from long range (23 of 46) as part of a 57.7 percent overall shooting effort.

Brunson, Randle team up to keep Knicks hot

Jalen Brunson had 30 points and Julius Randle flirted with a second straight triple-double as the New York Knicks rallied for a 108-103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 points and OG Anunoby added 10 for the Knicks, who have won four straight and improved to 10-2 since acquiring Anunoby from Toronto.

Randle finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists after he had 18 points, 16 boards and 10 assists in Saturday’s win over the Raptors.

Mikal Bridges scored 36 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers for the Nets, who entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point lead, just two nights after squandering an 18-point advantage in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Immanuel Quickley said patience is required as he and RJ Barrett adapt to the Toronto Raptors, after the former New York Knicks were beaten on their return to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Quickley and Barrett were traded to Toronto last month as the Knicks moved for forward O.G. Anunoby, with New York also receiving Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in the deal. 

The duo, who helped the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, returned to their former home court for the first time on Saturday, receiving standing ovations from the Knicks fans and featuring in a tribute video shown during the first media timeout.

Barrett finished with 20 points and Quickley added 12, but that was not enough to prevent the Raptors from slipping to 16-27 with a sixth loss in their last seven games.

Despite the result, both players were appreciate of the welcome they received from their former team, with Quickley saying: "It was great, just to come back. 

"Obviously we didn't get the outcome we wanted, [but] just to see everybody where I started my professional career was pretty cool."

Barrett added: "It was amazing. Thank you to the fans, for sure. We got a tribute video, I didn't think we were going to get that. That was cool.

"I'm very appreciative of my time here. To come back brought up a lot of emotions, for sure. But it was fun to come back and play basketball again."

Toronto have only won four of their 12 games since the trade went through on December 30, but Quickley accepts it will take time for the duo to build relationships with their new team-mates. 

"It definitely takes time," he said. "It's like meeting a new girl. You've got to take time to get to know her. You've got to take her out to eat, stuff like that.

"You aren't going to just walk up to her and say, 'let's get married.' That's not going to work. No, it'll come together.

"Rome wasn't built in a day. We have to keep working, individually and as a team we have to continue to try to take steps, and if we keep chopping wood and carrying water we'll get there."

The Raptors face the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in back-to-back home games next week, while the 26-17 Knicks make the short trip to Brooklyn to face the Nets in their next game on Tuesday. 

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.

Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined to score 20 straight points during a 25-0 run midway through the first half and the Milwaukee Bucks coasted to a 135-102 rout of the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Portis finished with 28 points and Antetokounmpo added 24 while both players had 12 rebounds. Damian Lillard had 21 points in his return to the Bucks’ lineup after missing a 132-116 loss to Utah on Monday for personal reasons.

Milwaukee led by as many as 43 points and its 75-38 lead at the break was the fourth-biggest halftime advantage in franchise history.

Payton Pritchard scored 21 points for the Celtics, who missed 16 of their first 17 3-point attempts and finished 9 of 34 from deep. Boston was back in action after beating Minnesota in overtime on Wednesday and looked fatigued.

The Celtics allowed their highest point total of the season and dropped their second straight road game.

Giddey leads Thunder to historic rout

Josh Giddey had a triple-double and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder matched the fifth-largest rout in NBA history, 139-77 over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jalen Williams scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Giddey finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which was on the wrong end of the NBA’s biggest blowout, a 73-point loss to Memphis on Dec. 2, 2021.

The Thunder’s 62-point win shattered their previous record for victory margin of 45 points, set twice during the 2012-13 season.

Portland shot a dismal 27.7 percent from the field and suffered its second-worst loss, having fallen by 65 to Indiana on Feb. 27, 1998.

Irving’s big game lifts Mavericks

Kyrie Irving poured in a season-high 44 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 32 to lead the short-handed Dallas Mavericks to a 128-124 win over the New York Knicks.

Josh Green scored 18 points, the last coming on a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to give Dallas a 124-120 lead. Irving and Hardaway combined to make four free throws in the final 11.1 seconds to seal the win.

Dallas superstar Luka Doncic sat out with an ankle injury and Dereck Lively II and Dante Exum also missed the game.

Julius Randle scored 32 points and Jalen Brunson had 30 for the Knicks, who had a five-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since acquiring OG Anunoby from Toronto on Dec. 30.

Domantas Sabonis notched his ninth triple-double of the season with 37 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 131-110 win over the lowly Detroit Pistons.

Sabonis shot 16 of 21 from the field, made his only 3-point attempt and was 4 of 4 from the free throw line. He moves within two triple-doubles of Denver’s Nikola Jokic for the league lead.

Keegan Murray scored 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting and De’Aaron Fox added 26 for the Kings, winners of five of seven.

Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit with 26 points as the Pistons dropped their fifth in a row since ending their NBA-record 28-game losing streak.

Sacramento trailed by 20 points in the first quarter, led by 15 in the third, were tied in the fourth and then pulled away with a 9-0 run in the fourth.

Anunoby helps Knicks stay hot

OG Anunoby scored 23 points and Julius Randle added 20 with eight assists and seven rebounds as the New York Knicks won their fifth in a row, 112-84 over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anunoby scored 16 points in the first quarter to help the Knicks open a 19-point lead. He shot 6 of 7 from the floor – 4 of 5 from 3-point range – and might have approached his season high of 29 points but the starters played sparingly in the second half.

New York is unbeaten since acquiring Anunoby from Toronto on Dec. 30.

Quentin Grimes had 17 points and Miles McBride had 16 as the Knicks moved a half-game ahead of Miami, Orlando, Indiana and Cleveland for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Davis shines in Lakers’ win

Anthony Davis scored 20 of his season-high 41 points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 132-131.

Davis was 13 of 17 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free throw line while adding 11 rebounds and six assists. He made all eight free throw attempts in the final minute as the Lakers held on despite late 3-pointers by Toronto’s Dennis Schröder and Gary Trent Jr.

LeBron James had 22 points and 12 assists to help the Lakers win their second straight after a four-game skid.

Scottie Barnes scored 26 points and RJ Barrett added 23 with 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who had won three of four.

Julius Randle says the New York Knicks won't get carried away after extending their winning streak to four games on Saturday, when his 39-point haul helped them past the Washington Wizards.

Randle finished two points shy of his best return of the season as the Knicks improved to 21-15 for the campaign with a dominant performance at Capital One Arena, earning a 121-105 win.

The Knicks never looked back after bringing up a 26-point lead in the first half, building on their impressive 128-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers one day earlier.

They are now up to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, but Randle says they are not looking too far ahead and will continue to take things game by game. 

"Don't play with your food," Randle said after Saturday's win. "Take care of what you're supposed to take care of and just keep improving. 

"The basketball gods have got a funny way of rewarding you or humbling you. We just try to approach every game the right way."

Jalen Brunson supported Randle with 33 points and eight assists, and the 27-year-old is enjoying playing with the two-time All-Star.

"Collectively, we both have the same mindset," Brunson said of his team-mate. "As long as we're winning, we can get better the next day and keep going from there.

"It was important to come out with energy, especially on a back-to-back. It's fun whenever you're winning."

Jayson Tatum poured in 38 points with a season-high eight 3-pointers and Jaylen Brown added 31 points to help the Boston Celtics snap the Indiana Pacers’ six-game winning streak, 118-101 on Saturday.

Tatum, who also had 13 rebounds and six assists, combined with Brown for 27 of Boston’s 46 baskets on a night they never trailed.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 20 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds and five steals. Indiana was held to a season-low point total and lost the rebounding battle, 70-42.

The Pacers were within 84-81 entering the fourth quarter, but the Celtics went up 100-85 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 7:30 remaining.

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis played only six minutes due to an eye laceration.

Rockets survive Antetokounmpo’s 48 points

Alperen Sengun had 21 points and the Houston Rockets overcame 48 points and 17 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, 112-108.

Antetokounmpo shot 16 of 25 from the field for his seventh straight double-double but teammate Damian Lillard shot 5 of 16, including 1 for 8 from long range, and missed a season-high three free throws on 10 attempts.

Jalen Green scored 16 points and Fred VanVleet added 14 with seven assists for Houston, which has won three of four following a three-game skid.  

Randle leads Knicks over Wizards

Julius Randle scored 39 points and Jalen Brunson had 33 as the New York Knicks won their fourth straight game, 121-105 over the Washington Wizards.

Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed 19 rebounds as New York showed no letup following an impressive 128-92 rout of the 76ers a night earlier.

Kyle Kuzma had 27 points and Deni Avdija added 23 for Washington, which has lost four in a row and seven of eight.

Julius Randle had 39 points and nine rebounds, OG Anunoby made a strong debut with his new team and the New York Knicks earned a 112-106 win over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday to end a three-game losing streak. 

Anunoby was traded to the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and met his new teammates for the first time on Sunday.

Despite needing some occasional help to navigate coach Tom Thibodeau’s system, Anunoby finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and pulled down six rebounds.

Randle finished 14 for 24 from the field and made nine of 13 free throws for New York, which trailed by nine points after one quarter before outscoring Minnesota by a 38-17 margin in the second to build a 61-49 half-time lead.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves, who had a two-game winning streak halted, with 35 points. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 29 for Minnesota, while Rudy Gobert grabbed 15 rebounds to go along with 10 points.

Bench propels Pacers as Bucks' home winning streak ends

Tyrese Haliburton finished just short of a triple-double as the Indiana Pacers put an end to the Milwaukee Bucks' 15-game home winning streak with a 122-113 victory over their Central Division rival.

Haliburton compiled 26 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead Indiana, which trailed by 15 points late in the third quarter to tie the game at 101-101 with under six minutes left.

The Pacers then embarked on an 8-0 run, with T.J. McConnell scoring six points during the spurt, to take the lead for good. 

McConnell had 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers to a fourth straight win. He finished with 16 points off the bench, while Bennedict Mathurin had 25 along with a career-high 13 rebounds. 

With Mathurin and McConnell leading the way, Indiana's bench outscored Milwaukee's reserves by a 70-16 margin.

The Central-leading Bucks were dealt their first defeat at Fiserv Forum since Oct. 29 despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 30-point, 18-rebound, 11-assist triple-double.

Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton had 21 points each for Milwaukee, though Bucks star guard Damian Lillard struggled with a 3-of-16 shooting night while being held to 13 points.

Leonard returns to help Clippers top Heat

Kawhi Leonard returned from a four-game absence to score 24 points and help the Los Angeles Clippers stay hot with a 121-104 win over the Miami Heat.

Paul George added 23 points and Norman Powell had 22 on 9-of-11 shooting to aid in the Clippers' third straight victory and 12th in 14 games. 

Miami, playing without six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and a few other key contributors due to injuries, held a 35-23 lead after one quarter and was up by as much as 14 points in the second before the Clippers began battling back.

Los Angeles outscored the Heat by a 32-17 margin over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 59-58 edge at the break. Leonard, who had been sidelined by a hip contusion, had 13 second-quarter points to spark the comeback. 

George then scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Clippers extended their lead to 95-85 entering the fourth.

Bam Adebayo paced Miami with 21 points and 15 rebounds. The Heat have now dropped two straight following a four-game winning streak. 

The New York Knicks made a splash Saturday, acquiring forward O.G. Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors for forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, according to multiple media reports.

The Knicks will also receive forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn in the deal, while the Raptors will also be getting the Detroit Pistons’ 2024 second-round draft pick.

The move is a major shakeup in the Eastern Conference, where the Knicks are hoping to compete with top teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Anunoby, 26, has been mentioned in trade speculation for the last two years. He is in the third season of a four-year, $72million contract but has a player option for next season. ESPN reported Saturday that the Knicks are “determined” to sign Anunoby to a new contract next offseason.

One of the best and most versatile defenders in the NBA, Anunoby is averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season.

Anunoby was placed on the trade block because of his expiring contract and his positional and size redundancy with fellow forwards Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.

Quickley, who finished second in last season’s Sixth Man of the Year voting, could move into a starting role and fill the void at point guard that Fred Van Vleet left when he signed with the Houston Rockets over the summer.

The Raptors also get a former third overall pick in Barrett, who scored 20 points per game just two seasons ago but has struggled with efficiency.

Barrett, 23, is averaging 18.2 points and 4.3 rebounds this season, while Quickley is averaging 15 points and 2.5 assists.

Kevin Durant registered a career-high 16 assists to go with 27 points and 10 rebounds in his 18th career triple-double on Wednesday, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 129-113 win over the Houston Rockets.

Durant shot 9 of 16 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point range as Phoenix snapped a three-game losing streak with it first road victory since Nov. 26.

Eric Gordon also scored 27 points in his first game back in Houston since being traded in February. He had 17 points in the Suns’ 43-point second quarter.

Alperen Sengun had 24 points and Jalen Green added 23 for the Rockets, who have lost four of six following a five-game winning streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams help Thunder win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams scored 36 points apiece and Williams sank a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 129-120 victory over the New York Knicks.

Chet Holmgren added 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting as the Thunder followed Tuesday’s triumph over Western Conference-leading Minnesota with their fifth win in six games.

Williams scored 17 points on 6 of 7 from the field in the fourth quarter, including eight points and two 3s during a 10-2 run after the Knicks cut their deficit to five with 4:37 remaining.

Julius Randle had 25 points and Jalen Brunson added 24 for New York, which had won three of four.

Antetokounmpo, Bucks handle undermanned Nets

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away for a 144-122 win over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.

Khris Middleton added 27 points and 10 boards and Cameron Payne and Malik Beasley each hit five 3-pointers as the Bucks improved to 10-2 this month.

Milwaukee shot 23 of 51 from 3-point range and 58.4 percent (52 for 89) overall to bounce back from a Christmas Day loss to the Knicks.

The Nets rested three starters (Spencer Dinwiddie, Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson) and barely played two others one night after a victory in Detroit extended the Pistons’ losing streak an NBA-record 27.

The New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in four attempts this season on Christmas Day, as Jalen Brunson starred with 38 points at Madison Square Garden.

The Bucks managed their third win over the Knicks in as many games on Friday, triumphing 130-111 in Manhattan, but there was to be no repeat three days later as the hosts clinched a 129-122 success.  

Brunson led the way with 38 points, the most by a Knicks player on Christmas Day since Bernard King's record 60-point haul back in 1984, to prove Giannis Antetokounmpo's 32 points redundant.

Brunson admitted the Knicks' previous struggles against Milwaukee made Monday's win more enjoyable, saying: "We've struggled against this team throughout this year and the fact that we came out with a win today… it's special.

"I like the way we had a lead no matter how much they cut the lead down. We stayed poised and figured out a way to keep it and win."

In addition to Brunson, Julius Randle (24), RJ Barrett (21) and Immanuel Quickley (20) all scored at least 20 points for the hosts as they improved to 17-12. 

"We had a lot of guys in double figures and a lot of assists," Quickley said. "It was fun to play like that when everybody is moving and touching the ball. 

"I think our defense really bled into our offense, so that has got to be the way, every night."

While the Bucks saw their seven-game winning streak come to a halt, former MVP Antetokounmpo chose to remain upbeat after the spoils were shared over the teams' weekend double-header.

"It was kind of like a playoff matchup," he said. "We've played this team four times in the past month, month and a half. Two times in the past few days.

"It's a good test for us. We're going to play teams in the playoffs twice on the road, so being able to win the first one, lose the second one, it's good. We'll learn from it."