By CHARLES ODUM
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -- Paul Millsap made the decisive basket in a four-overtime game that lasted almost four hours and proclaimed it to be great fun that he never wants to experience again.
Millsap had a season-high 37 points, including the go-ahead layup with 27 seconds remaining in the fourth OT, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame Carmelo Anthony's season-high 45 points to outlast the short-handed New York Knicks 142-139 on Sunday.
Millsap logged 60 minutes, which were especially taxing due to his time defending Anthony.
"There was no chance I was coming out," Millsap said.
Millsap had 19 rebounds, setting another season high, and seven assists.
"That was fun," Millsap said. "I don't want to do that again ever, but it was fun."
Asked to summarize the game, he said, "I don't even remember."
The Knicks' first four-overtime game in 66 years included five players, including Anthony and Atlanta's Dwight Howard, fouling out.
Anthony scored the tying baskets at the end of regulation and the first overtime period, before fouling out with 12.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Anthony said it was "difficult" to watch the last two extra periods.
"Those are the overtimes where you've got to dig deep," Anthony said. "You're exhausted, you have to find something from somewhere. But to not be out there in that last overtime was a little difficult to watch. Especially knowing the flow of the game. That was a moment I wanted to be out there."
The Knicks also had starters Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah foul out. New York still found ways to match the scoring from Millsap and Kent Bazemore, who had 24 points, including the Hawks' first eight points in the fourth overtime.
"Good thing we don't play tomorrow," said Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek.
The loss was another blow to the Knicks' hopes of moving into the Eastern Conference playoffs.
"These guys have fought all year," Hornacek said. "Things haven't gone our way but they never give up."
Courtney Lee made a 26-foot tying 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second OT and sank the tying free throws late in the third extra period.
The Knicks held out guard Derrick Rose, who sprained his left ankle in Friday night's win over Charlotte.
Dennis Schroder made one of two free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime, leaving the Knicks a chance to extend the game yet again. Lee missed a last-second 3-point attempt on what he said was "a great look."
"It's draining, man, but it was fun," Lee said. "You can't hang your head about this one. We competed."
Schroder had 23 points and 15 assists for Atlanta.
Brandon Jennings had 18 points as the fill-in starter for Rose. Lee added 17.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Porzingis fouled out with 15 points with 1:30 remaining in regulation. ... Anthony, who set a franchise record for points in any quarter with 25 in the second period against Washington on Jan. 19, had 17 in the first quarter. ... Backup Kyle O'Quinn also fouled out. ... Noah had 14 rebounds.
Hawks: Howard fouled out in the second OT with 19 points and 13 rebounds. ... G Lamar Patterson, signed to a 10-day contract, was in uniform but did not play. He played 35 games with Atlanta last season. ... G Gary Neal's 10-day contract expired. ... Tim Hardaway Jr. started for F Thabo Sefolosha (groin) and scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
FOUR-OT HISTORY
It was the Knicks' first four-overtime game since Jan. 23, 1951, when they lost at Rochester. Atlanta's last four-overtime game was a win over Utah on March 25, 2012.
ROSE MAY MISS MORE GAMES
Hornacek said Rose also likely will miss the team's game at Washington on Tuesday and possibly more.
"I don't want to say because you never know with an ankle," Hornacek said.
Rose said the ankle "feels better every day."
"I just have to take my time with it and listen to my body and I think that's what I'm doing right now," Rose said.
FLAGRANT FOUL
Howard was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for knocking Porzingis to the court on a dunk by Porzingis midway through the third quarter. There was a lengthy delay as officials reviewed the play and Porzingis received congratulations from teammates for the slam over Howard.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Visit Washington on Tuesday.
Hawks: Visit Miami on Wednesday.
Monday, January 30, 2017
College student dies from drug overdose in dorm
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a college student in New Jersey has died from a drug overdose in a dorm.
Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly told NJ.com (http://bit.ly/2kFz5Jj ) that the New Jersey Institute of Technology student died in Newark Sunday afternoon.
Fennelly did not release the man's name or say what kind of drug was involved.
Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly told NJ.com (http://bit.ly/2kFz5Jj ) that the New Jersey Institute of Technology student died in Newark Sunday afternoon.
Fennelly did not release the man's name or say what kind of drug was involved.
Police start search for hit-and-run driver in fatal accident
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Police are searching for the driver who struck and killed a New Jersey woman.
Essex County officials say 47-year-old Josette Morales, of Irvington, was hit by a car while crossing the street in Newark around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Morales was pronounced dead at the scene.
A description of the vehicle that hit Morales was not immediately provided.
Essex County officials say 47-year-old Josette Morales, of Irvington, was hit by a car while crossing the street in Newark around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Morales was pronounced dead at the scene.
A description of the vehicle that hit Morales was not immediately provided.
Police arrest 11 in undercover prostitution sting
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Several men have been arrested in New Jersey as a result of an undercover prostitution sting.
Newark Police say they arrested and charged 11 men Saturday night with soliciting prostitutes. NJ.com reports (http://bit.ly/2k8cDJ2) eight of the men are from New Jersey while the rest are from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maryland.
Police allege the men solicited sex from an undercover police officer.
Newark Police say they arrested and charged 11 men Saturday night with soliciting prostitutes. NJ.com reports (http://bit.ly/2k8cDJ2) eight of the men are from New Jersey while the rest are from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Maryland.
Police allege the men solicited sex from an undercover police officer.
Woman charged with DUI after hitting pedestrian
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey woman who hit a woman with her car has been charged with drunken driving.
Police say 24-year-old Samaa Dessouki, of Jersey City, struck Aida Cumpa while she was walking on the sidewalk with her mother and husband on Booraem Avenue in Jersey City early Sunday.
Cumpa had to be freed by emergency officials after being pinned between Dessouki's SUV and a fence.
Cumpa was transported to Jersey City Medical Center with a fractured right leg.
Police arrested and charged Dessouki with assault by auto, reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. Dessouki told police she was cut off by a car while turning onto Booraem Ave., leading her to hit two cars and Cumpa.
It wasn't immediately known if Dessouki had an attorney to comment on her behalf.
Police say 24-year-old Samaa Dessouki, of Jersey City, struck Aida Cumpa while she was walking on the sidewalk with her mother and husband on Booraem Avenue in Jersey City early Sunday.
Cumpa had to be freed by emergency officials after being pinned between Dessouki's SUV and a fence.
Cumpa was transported to Jersey City Medical Center with a fractured right leg.
Police arrested and charged Dessouki with assault by auto, reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. Dessouki told police she was cut off by a car while turning onto Booraem Ave., leading her to hit two cars and Cumpa.
It wasn't immediately known if Dessouki had an attorney to comment on her behalf.
3 people found dead in Maplewood apartment
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Three people have been found dead in an apartment in New Jersey, and their deaths are being investigated as a triple homicide.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says the Maplewood Fire Department responding to a well-being check in the township Sunday morning found three unresponsive adults. The two men and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released their names.
Autopsies are planned to determine how they died.
No other information was immediately available.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says the Maplewood Fire Department responding to a well-being check in the township Sunday morning found three unresponsive adults. The two men and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released their names.
Autopsies are planned to determine how they died.
No other information was immediately available.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Towns scores 37 to lift Timberwolves over Nets, 129-109
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) While the rest of his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates were on the court for pregame warmups, Karl-Anthony Towns was in the back sleeping, trying to squeeze every second of rest he could while battling a cold that nearly kept him out of the game.
The Brooklyn Nets sure could've used Towns to take a sick day.
Towns had 37 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Timberwolves to a 129-109 victory over the Nets on Saturday night.
''Today was a long day for me. I'm glad it ended well,'' said Towns, who made 15 of 26 shots. ''Was real close to getting a DNP tonight.''
Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and four assists, and Zach LaVine scored 20 points for the Timberwolves, who have won seven of their last 10 games. Minnesota shot 51 percent and outscored Brooklyn 17-8 in second-chance point to respond after a tough home loss to Indiana on Thursday night.
Brook Lopez had 25 points and seven rebounds and hit 3 of 6 3-pointers for the Nets, who have lost five straight and 21 of their last 23 games. Sean Kilpatrick added 14 points.
''I felt like they dominated us,'' Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. ''We couldn't stop them. Physically, I thought they overwhelmed us. We got to do better.''
Towns had everything working against the Nets. Lopez didn't have the quickness to keep up with him, Justin Hamilton wasn't strong enough and Trevor Booker didn't have the size.
After Brooklyn trimmed a 16-point deficit to five in the third quarter, Towns scored six straight points to jumpstart a 10-0 run that gave the Wolves some breathing room for good. He hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and scored on a nifty left-handed baby hook to help the Wolves take an 89-74 lead.
''There's so much he can do and he's such a threat pretty much anywhere on the court,'' Lopez said. ''It makes it tough. You have to be aggressive with him and try to make his catches and looks as difficult as possible.''
Shabazz Muhammad scored 18 points off the bench for Minnesota, and Gorgui Dieng added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Nets: Lopez scored the first 10 points for Brooklyn. ... The Nets scored 58 points in the paint after coming in seventh in the league in that category. ... The Nets outscored Minnesota 50-23 off the bench.
Timberwolves: PG Ricky Rubio was limited to 23 minutes because of foul trouble. He still finished with 14 points. ... Towns topped 30 for the ninth time this season. ... Kris Dunn played well while Rubio was out, putting up seven assists and five boards in 26 minutes.
HOLLIS-JEFFERSON REACTS
Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is Muslim, got emotional pregame while talking about an executive order from President Donald Trump that cracked down on refugees and visitors from seven majority-Muslim countries.
''You can't judge a whole group by one's actions at the end of the day,'' Hollis-Jefferson said, according to the New York Post. ''And I feel like that's not right. That's definitely not right. You can't speak for all Muslims, because all Muslims' hearts aren't like that. Most of them are pure, really believe in a different way and a different livelihood.''
Trump said it is ''not a Muslim ban,'' but the order was protested at airports around the country and a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from nations subject to Trump's ban.
Hollis-Jefferson did not play in the second half because of a sore right ankle.
TOWNS FAMILY UPDATE
In addition to Towns' illness, his father Karl used crutches to get around Target Center after Wolves mascot Crunch accidentally injured Big Karl's knee during a stunt on Thursday night.
''Both Townses are down, but not out,'' Karl-Anthony cracked.
CHANGE COMING?
After another lackluster defensive effort, Atkinson said he will consider making changes to the starting lineup to try to find players more willing and able to produce on that end of the court.
''I think we've had a streak where we're not defending. That's not acceptable,'' Atkinson said. ''That's not the type of program we're trying to run.''
UP NEXT
Nets: Brooklyn finishes a three-game road trip at Miami on Monday.
Timberwolves: Minnesota wraps up a three-game home stand with a game against Orlando on Monday.
Police: Woman charged after throwing child on train tracks
BURLINGTON, N.J. (AP) — A woman who allegedly threw a 5-year-old girl onto the tracks as a train was approaching has been charged with attempted murder.
Burlington police went to the light rail platform around 8:30 p.m. Friday after a New Jersey Transit bus driver told authorities that he saw a woman acting suspiciously in the area.
As officers waked onto the platform to approach 20-year-old Autumn Matacchiera, the Hainesport woman allegedly grabbed the girl — who was standing with her mother and the mother's boyfriend — and threw her onto the tracks.
The boyfriend quickly got the girl to safety as police jumped in front of the train to signal it to stop. Matacchiera was soon subdued and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
The child was treated at a hospital for a facial cut and some bruising.
Burlington police went to the light rail platform around 8:30 p.m. Friday after a New Jersey Transit bus driver told authorities that he saw a woman acting suspiciously in the area.
As officers waked onto the platform to approach 20-year-old Autumn Matacchiera, the Hainesport woman allegedly grabbed the girl — who was standing with her mother and the mother's boyfriend — and threw her onto the tracks.
The boyfriend quickly got the girl to safety as police jumped in front of the train to signal it to stop. Matacchiera was soon subdued and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
The child was treated at a hospital for a facial cut and some bruising.
Man gets prison term for role in high-end vehicle theft ring
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A man involved in a ring that carjacked or stole high-end vehicles and sold them overseas is now headed to prison.
Donell Carroll received a 10-year sentence Friday. The 29-year-old East Orange man had pleaded guilty last month to racketeering.
Authorities recovered 90 stolen vehicles through the investigation, including nearly two dozen found at regional seaports. The vehicles — worth more than $4 million — were taken from an area stretching from Rockland County, New York to central New Jersey.
The ring sought out expensive vehicles. Some were stolen through carjackings, while others were taken from locations where the thieves could steal them with the vehicle's electronic keys or key fobs, which authorities say are critical to the cars' resale value.
The vehicles eventually were shipped to west Africa.
Donell Carroll received a 10-year sentence Friday. The 29-year-old East Orange man had pleaded guilty last month to racketeering.
Authorities recovered 90 stolen vehicles through the investigation, including nearly two dozen found at regional seaports. The vehicles — worth more than $4 million — were taken from an area stretching from Rockland County, New York to central New Jersey.
The ring sought out expensive vehicles. Some were stolen through carjackings, while others were taken from locations where the thieves could steal them with the vehicle's electronic keys or key fobs, which authorities say are critical to the cars' resale value.
The vehicles eventually were shipped to west Africa.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
NYC to pay $6.9 million to man shot by off-duty officer
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City on Friday agreed to pay $6.9 million to a man shot six times by an off-duty police officer who had consumed 10 drinks before getting in his car to drive home.
A spokesman for the city law department said Friday's settlement in the shooting by former officer Brendan Cronin was in the best interests of the city.
Joseph Felice and Robert Borrelli sued the city after Cronin fired a barrage of bullets into their car in suburban Pelham on April 29, 2014. Borrelli was not hit and was able to drive his wounded friend to the hospital.
Friday's settlement awards $6.9 million to Felice and $1.275 million to Borrelli.
The two men were driving home from a recreational hockey game when Cronin opened fire on them without provocation. Cronin told Pelham police that he had downed 10 drinks at a bar after spending the day training at an NYPD shooting range.
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges and is serving a nine-year prison sentence.
An attorney for Felice and Borrelli, Debra S. Cohen, said the plaintiffs hope that the settlement demonstrates "the beginning of a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol abuse" by police officers.
James, Irving help Cavs break losing streak, beat Nets
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James thinks a rocky January can help the Cleveland Cavaliers in the long run.
"The road to a championship or the road to success shouldn't be a bed of roses," he said after scoring 31 points Friday night in a 124-116 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. "It's never been my road. I shouldn't expect anything different. So having bumps in the road, I think it builds character."
Kyrie Irving added 28 points and the Cavaliers ended a turbulent week with a much-needed victory. The NBA champions had lost three straight and six of eight while James questioned whether the organization was fully committed to winning a second title.
The Cavaliers took advantage of a timely visit from the NBA's worst team. Irving scored 20 points, and James added 10 in the third quarter when Cleveland built an 86-62 lead.
Kevin Love, named to the All-Star team Thursday, had 13 points and 14 rebounds.
"Yeah, I feel better," said Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, whose team is 6-7 this month. "It feels good to get a win anyway you can get it."
The Nets have lost four straight and 15 of their last 16. Brooklyn played without leading scorer Brook Lopez (rest) and top rebounder Trevor Booker (illness).
Sean Kilpatrick led Brooklyn with 18 points, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 17.
James criticized the roster's construction following a loss to New Orleans, which played without All-Star Anthony Davis, on Monday. He met with his teammates, Lue and general manager David Griffin, prior to a loss to Sacramento on Wednesday.
Griffin said he understood James' frustration, but took issue with the four-time MVP's assertion that the Cavs appeared satisfied with one title.
Asked Friday about his relationship with owner Dan Gilbert, James said, "He's the owner of the team, I'm one of the players on the team. It's not about me and it's not about him, so, it's a non issue."
The controversy has left Lue dealing with a distraction while his team has gone through its toughest stretch of the season, but Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson knew the Cavaliers might take out their frustrations on his team.
"Putting them on edge isn't the best thing in the world (for us)," Atkinson said.
Cleveland led by 11 in the first half and took a 55-47 lead into halftime on Richard Jefferson's 3-pointer at the buzzer. James and Irving took over in the third as Cleveland raced to a 24-point advantage.
Brooklyn scored nine straight points and trailed 86-73, but Irving hit two 3-pointers and scored on a drive to the basket, pushing the lead to 94-73.
BREAK TIME?
The Cavaliers began a stretch of three games in four days, which ends with a back-to-back set at home against Oklahoma City on Sunday and Monday at Dallas.
"We've been looking at resting a couple of guys a little bit down the road," he said. "Not sure what game. We've got to get to playing right first. Once we start winning again then we'll look at resting guys."
TIP-INS
Nets: Brooklyn dressed 10 players. G Caris LeVert also rested, but Atkinson expects both Lopez and the rookie guard to play Saturday. G Joe Harris (sprained left ankle) is also out while G Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) missed his 16th straight game. ... F Quincy Acy's second 10-day contract expires Sunday.
Cavaliers: The voting process for next month's All-Star Game has been questioned since several players who see little playing time received votes. "There's always goofy votes," James said. "I mean, Donald Trump is our president." James supported Hillary Clinton in November's election. ... Jefferson returned after missing a game because of the birth of his son.
UP NEXT
Nets: Visit Minnesota on Saturday. Brooklyn was a 119-110 home winner over the Timberwolves on Nov. 8.
Cavaliers: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday. James averaged 29 points and 11 assists against the Thunder last season.
Lee helps Knicks rally to 110-107 victory over Hornets
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks know there isn't much time left to make a playoff push.
There may be less time for Carmelo Anthony and his teammates to convince management to keep them together.
Anthony shook off some boos and a rough shooting night to score 18 points, Courtney Lee added 16 against his former team and the Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 110-107 on Friday night.
Anthony finished 8 for 26 from the field and had just one basket in the fourth, but it was a big one, a jumper with 13 seconds left and the Knicks clinging to a two-point lead.
Lee carried the Knicks while Anthony struggled, scoring nine straight New York points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:39 left. Lee came to the Knicks in the summer after helping the Hornets to the playoffs last season.
"I think our sense of urgency is picking up and we realize that we can't keep saying it's early in the season," Lee said. "We're four or five games out of the playoffs, I think we realize now that time is running out."
The Knicks are actually only two games behind eighth-place Chicago, despite some prolonged struggles after a 16-13 start. That has put the attention squarely on Anthony's future in New York.
He has a no-trade clause and can stay in New York as long as he wants, but that hasn't stopped speculation that his time here could be nearing an end, with a few reports that the Knicks have been trying to find a deal.
If they do, it would seem to signal that President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson is giving up on this group. Perhaps a strong stretch before the Feb. 23 trade deadline would make him think otherwise.
"I don't think we're playing out there to be convincing," Anthony said. "I think we understand what's at stake right now, and that's having an opportunity to creep back up there in one of those top eight spots."
Kemba Walker had 31 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte a night after being chosen as an All-Star for the first time. Marvin Williams added 17 points but the Hornets made just seven baskets and had a long dry spell in the fourth quarter.
"We just missed shots," Walker said. "I thought we got great shots. Shots that we normally knock down we kind of missed them, especially me. I thought I got some great looks but just didn't drop."
Kristaps Porzingis also scored 18 points for the Knicks, getting off to a strong start but finishing the game on the bench after fouling out. Brandon Jennings, getting extra playing time after Derrick Rose was hurt, scored 15 points.
Anthony added 11 rebounds but frustrated fans with his shooting. He was booed on some misses, including some loud ones after he was way off on one attempt in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Charlotte fell to 0-7 on the road in January. ... Jeremy Lamb was active but didn't play after missing the last seven games with an inflamed metatarsal. ... Cody Zeller sat out his second straight game with a bruised quadriceps
Knicks: Rose sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and left the game with 13 points. The Knicks said X-rays were negative.
NO-STAR
Anthony wasn't elected a starter for the All-Star Game by fans for the first time since coming to the Knicks and wasn't voted a reserve by Eastern Conference coaches.
"A little disappointed but at this point there's kind of bigger things to worry about," he said. "As a competitor you want to participate in that weekend, knowing how much fun it is, knowing the importance of kind of being down there, and just enjoying that break, that's something that I'll miss the most."
NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
The Knicks had their game against the Lakers on Monday, Feb. 6 dropped from TNT's coverage lineup on Friday. The network will instead show Cleveland at Washington as the opener of that night's doubleheader.
MISS ME?
The Hornets liked Lee but re-signing Nicolas Batum was their priority last summer. Lee was asked if his old teammates missed him Friday.
"A couple of them said that, but they had their opportunity," he said.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host Sacramento on Saturday before going west for a three-game trip.
Knicks: Visit Atlanta on Sunday, the opener of a three-game trip.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Eichel's overtime winner lifts Sabres over Predators 5-4
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — On the bench, Jack Eichel talked the talk. On the ice, he certainly backed it up.
Eichel scored two goals, including the game-winner at 2:35 of overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 5-4 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Zemgus Girgensons, Brian Gionta and Kyle Okposo also scored for Buffalo, which has won three straight.
"Our guys on the bench were saying it," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. "We thought we could come back and win the game, even when we got down two. On our bench, Jack was saying, 'We're going to win this game. We're going to win this game.' And they go out and they do it."
James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Cody McLeod and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Calle Jarnkrok had two assists.
Eichel's overtime winner capped a frantic comeback for Buffalo.
In the extra period, Eichel carried the puck into the Nashville zone, made a move at the left faceoff dot to slip between Colin Wilson and P.K. Subban and then snapped a wrist shot past Juuse Saros, who finished with 32 saves.
"I was just trying to build some speed and attack them," Eichel said. "I noticed that I had a forward playing (defense) back there so I just tried to use my speed and go after him and obviously try and get a shot on. He's a really athletic goaltender and he makes it hard on you, so I'm just trying to move him a little bit and get it up."
It's only the second time Buffalo has won three consecutive games after regulation. The other time was in November 2006.
Nashville held a 4-2 lead late in the third period before Gionta scored at 14:10. Then, with Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner pulled for an extra skater, Okposo tipped home a pass from Sam Reinhart with 1:05 remaining to send the game into overtime.
"We were too sloppy," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We were just sloppy with the puck, sloppy with coverage defensively."
Lehner stopped 35 shots and was credited with an assist on Eichel's game-winner.
Arvidsson broke a 2-all tie at 5:08 of the third with a power-play goal, gathering the rebound of his initial shot from the left side.
Neal made it 4-2 at 10:17 with a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Jarnkrok on the left side.
Forsberg scored the game's first goal at 8:43 of the opening period.
With the Sabres on a penalty kill, Jarnkrok carried the puck up ice on a 2-on-1 with Forsberg. From the right side, Jarnkrok slid a pass to Forsberg in the left circle, where he beat Lehner with a wrist shot to the glove side.
After a slow start to the season, Forsberg has 12 goals in his last 18 games.
"You always have to learn from every game," Forsberg said. "Whether you win or lose there's always stuff you can do better and stuff you did (well). So you've got to take the positives, but it's obviously a bad way to lose."
Girgensons tied it 1-all at 12:12 of the second.
Nashville struggled to clear the puck from inside its zone, and former Predator Cody Franson faked a shot and then sent a pass to Evander Kane in the low slot, where he deflected the puck on net. Saros made that stop, but Girgensons was in front to slip the rebound in for his sixth of the season.
Nashville regained the lead at 17:28 on McLeod's second with the Predators.
McLeod carried along the left wall and managed to tuck the puck inside the post. A brief video review confirmed the goal and allowed it to stand.
The teams went into the second intermission tied at 2 after Eichel scored with 17.4 seconds remaining in the period.
Saros kicked aside Franson's slap shot from above the right circle, but an unchecked Eichel buried the rebound from the lower part of the left circle.
NOTES: Wilson returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. ... Arvidsson has points in four straight games. ... Buffalo is 9-3-2 against Western Conference teams this season. ... Sabres D Dmitry Kulikov returned after missing 12 games with a lower back injury.
UP NEXT
Sabres: At the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Predators: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — On the bench, Jack Eichel talked the talk. On the ice, he certainly backed it up.
Eichel scored two goals, including the game-winner at 2:35 of overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 5-4 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Zemgus Girgensons, Brian Gionta and Kyle Okposo also scored for Buffalo, which has won three straight.
"Our guys on the bench were saying it," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. "We thought we could come back and win the game, even when we got down two. On our bench, Jack was saying, 'We're going to win this game. We're going to win this game.' And they go out and they do it."
James Neal, Filip Forsberg, Cody McLeod and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Calle Jarnkrok had two assists.
Eichel's overtime winner capped a frantic comeback for Buffalo.
In the extra period, Eichel carried the puck into the Nashville zone, made a move at the left faceoff dot to slip between Colin Wilson and P.K. Subban and then snapped a wrist shot past Juuse Saros, who finished with 32 saves.
"I was just trying to build some speed and attack them," Eichel said. "I noticed that I had a forward playing (defense) back there so I just tried to use my speed and go after him and obviously try and get a shot on. He's a really athletic goaltender and he makes it hard on you, so I'm just trying to move him a little bit and get it up."
It's only the second time Buffalo has won three consecutive games after regulation. The other time was in November 2006.
Nashville held a 4-2 lead late in the third period before Gionta scored at 14:10. Then, with Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner pulled for an extra skater, Okposo tipped home a pass from Sam Reinhart with 1:05 remaining to send the game into overtime.
"We were too sloppy," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "We were just sloppy with the puck, sloppy with coverage defensively."
Lehner stopped 35 shots and was credited with an assist on Eichel's game-winner.
Arvidsson broke a 2-all tie at 5:08 of the third with a power-play goal, gathering the rebound of his initial shot from the left side.
Neal made it 4-2 at 10:17 with a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Jarnkrok on the left side.
Forsberg scored the game's first goal at 8:43 of the opening period.
With the Sabres on a penalty kill, Jarnkrok carried the puck up ice on a 2-on-1 with Forsberg. From the right side, Jarnkrok slid a pass to Forsberg in the left circle, where he beat Lehner with a wrist shot to the glove side.
After a slow start to the season, Forsberg has 12 goals in his last 18 games.
"You always have to learn from every game," Forsberg said. "Whether you win or lose there's always stuff you can do better and stuff you did (well). So you've got to take the positives, but it's obviously a bad way to lose."
Girgensons tied it 1-all at 12:12 of the second.
Nashville struggled to clear the puck from inside its zone, and former Predator Cody Franson faked a shot and then sent a pass to Evander Kane in the low slot, where he deflected the puck on net. Saros made that stop, but Girgensons was in front to slip the rebound in for his sixth of the season.
Nashville regained the lead at 17:28 on McLeod's second with the Predators.
McLeod carried along the left wall and managed to tuck the puck inside the post. A brief video review confirmed the goal and allowed it to stand.
The teams went into the second intermission tied at 2 after Eichel scored with 17.4 seconds remaining in the period.
Saros kicked aside Franson's slap shot from above the right circle, but an unchecked Eichel buried the rebound from the lower part of the left circle.
NOTES: Wilson returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury. ... Arvidsson has points in four straight games. ... Buffalo is 9-3-2 against Western Conference teams this season. ... Sabres D Dmitry Kulikov returned after missing 12 games with a lower back injury.
UP NEXT
Sabres: At the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Predators: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Kings snap 4-game losing streak with 3-1 win over Devils
Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — All the Los Angeles Kings needed to end a season-high four-game losing streak was a quick start, a solid performance in net from Peter Budaj and a few of those goals that have been so tough to come by.
Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson scored in the opening 1:46 of a three-goal first period, and the Kings won for the third time in eight games with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
"Coming out in the first period like we did was big for us," said Kopitar, who scored for only the second time in 19 games. "Getting the lead early and just sustaining pressure. Even when we didn't score, we felt like we played pretty well. We still generated chances. Obviously getting the two points is huge."
Kings defenseman Alec Martinez capped the big period with a goal in close and Budaj stopped 24 shots in his 21st win of the season. Jeff Carter had the primary assist on the first two goals.
"He was solid back there," Kopitar said of Budaj. "He was making the saves that he saw. Too bad one squeaked by him. He made some huge saves and helped keep us in it on the 5-on-3. We're going to need that going forward."
Kyle Quincey scored in the third period for New Jersey, which has lost five straight at home.
"Right now we are not playing well enough to win at home and we know that's something we have to do a better job of as we have quite a few home games here the second half of the season," Devils coach John Hynes said. "I don't think there is a rhythm or reason to it."
Los Angeles was outstanding on special teams. Kopitar scored a power-play goal on the Kings' first shot and New Jersey failed to capitalize on four power plays, including a two-man advantage for 1:44 midway through the first period.
After Budaj made a point-blank stop on Miles Wood on the opening shift, the Kings needed only nine seconds to take advantage of a holding penalty against Quincey.
After Carter won the faceoff, Kopitar got the puck back in the right circle and beat goaltender Cory Schneider for his fifth goal.
"Other than the goal scoring, I have no problem with Kopi's game," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "He's one of the best players in the league."
Pearson got his 15th of the season 56 seconds later. He took a pass from Carter in front, outmuscled Devils defenseman Steven Santini and turned and fired a shot over Schneider's glove.
Martinez got his seventh of the season at 16:15 by poking the rebound of Marian Gaborik's shot into the net.
Budaj protected the lead the rest of the way, with his biggest save coming against Jacob Josefson shortly after Quincey scored.
Schneider, who missed the past two games because of illness, gave up all three goals in the first period. He was replaced in the second by Keith Kinkaid, who kept Los Angeles scoreless the rest of the night.
"It's tough to go down 3-0 early and put your team in that spot," said Schneider, who faced 12 shots. "Again, they all matter a lot right now so you can't take a night off and have an off game."
NOTES: Kopitar played in his 806th game, fifth-best in Kings history. ... Sutter earned his 618th career win, moving into 12th place on the NHL list ahead of Jacques Lemaire. ... Los Angeles RW Devon Setoguchi left the ice in the second period after being hit in the ear on a clearing pass. He returned in the third. ... New Jersey is 1-6-1 in its last eight at home. It had won four of five overall coming into the game. ... Los Angeles swept the two-game season series.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Carolina on Thursday night in the fourth game of a five-game trip that will end in Arizona after the All-Star break.
Devils: Host Washington on Thursday night.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — All the Los Angeles Kings needed to end a season-high four-game losing streak was a quick start, a solid performance in net from Peter Budaj and a few of those goals that have been so tough to come by.
Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson scored in the opening 1:46 of a three-goal first period, and the Kings won for the third time in eight games with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
"Coming out in the first period like we did was big for us," said Kopitar, who scored for only the second time in 19 games. "Getting the lead early and just sustaining pressure. Even when we didn't score, we felt like we played pretty well. We still generated chances. Obviously getting the two points is huge."
Kings defenseman Alec Martinez capped the big period with a goal in close and Budaj stopped 24 shots in his 21st win of the season. Jeff Carter had the primary assist on the first two goals.
"He was solid back there," Kopitar said of Budaj. "He was making the saves that he saw. Too bad one squeaked by him. He made some huge saves and helped keep us in it on the 5-on-3. We're going to need that going forward."
Kyle Quincey scored in the third period for New Jersey, which has lost five straight at home.
"Right now we are not playing well enough to win at home and we know that's something we have to do a better job of as we have quite a few home games here the second half of the season," Devils coach John Hynes said. "I don't think there is a rhythm or reason to it."
Los Angeles was outstanding on special teams. Kopitar scored a power-play goal on the Kings' first shot and New Jersey failed to capitalize on four power plays, including a two-man advantage for 1:44 midway through the first period.
After Budaj made a point-blank stop on Miles Wood on the opening shift, the Kings needed only nine seconds to take advantage of a holding penalty against Quincey.
After Carter won the faceoff, Kopitar got the puck back in the right circle and beat goaltender Cory Schneider for his fifth goal.
"Other than the goal scoring, I have no problem with Kopi's game," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "He's one of the best players in the league."
Pearson got his 15th of the season 56 seconds later. He took a pass from Carter in front, outmuscled Devils defenseman Steven Santini and turned and fired a shot over Schneider's glove.
Martinez got his seventh of the season at 16:15 by poking the rebound of Marian Gaborik's shot into the net.
Budaj protected the lead the rest of the way, with his biggest save coming against Jacob Josefson shortly after Quincey scored.
Schneider, who missed the past two games because of illness, gave up all three goals in the first period. He was replaced in the second by Keith Kinkaid, who kept Los Angeles scoreless the rest of the night.
"It's tough to go down 3-0 early and put your team in that spot," said Schneider, who faced 12 shots. "Again, they all matter a lot right now so you can't take a night off and have an off game."
NOTES: Kopitar played in his 806th game, fifth-best in Kings history. ... Sutter earned his 618th career win, moving into 12th place on the NHL list ahead of Jacques Lemaire. ... Los Angeles RW Devon Setoguchi left the ice in the second period after being hit in the ear on a clearing pass. He returned in the third. ... New Jersey is 1-6-1 in its last eight at home. It had won four of five overall coming into the game. ... Los Angeles swept the two-game season series.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Carolina on Thursday night in the fourth game of a five-game trip that will end in Arizona after the All-Star break.
Devils: Host Washington on Thursday night.
Islanders chase Bobrovsky, beat Blue Jackets 4-2
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Nikolay Kulemin scored a goal and helped create another, and the New York Islanders chased All-Star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
The Islanders are 3-0-1 under interim coach Doug Weight a week after Jack Capuano was fired, ending his 6 1/2-season tenure.
Thomas Greiss made 21 saves and improved to 10-3-3 over his past 16 starts.
Kulemin put New York ahead late in the second period and created space in front for Josh Bailey's 100th NHL goal earlier in the period. Jason Chimera got his fifth goal in seven games, and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders. John Tavares had two assists.
Nick Foligno had an early score for Columbus, and Cam Atkinson got his 24th goal late.
The Blue Jackets failed to respond after coach John Tortorella questioned his club's recent effort earlier in the day. Columbus entered two points behind Washington for first place in the rugged Metropolitan Division, but is just 5-6-0 since a 16-game winning streak.
Bobrovsky stopped 20 of 24 shots before being lifted for Joonas Korpisalo.
The Islanders are still talking about making the postseason as the All-Star break approaches, even as they try to climb out of the basement. New York entered tied for last in the Eastern Conference, but it was just five points out of the final wild-card spot and has games in hand on nearly the entire conference.
Columbus dominated possession early but had only three shots on goal in the first 8 1/2 minutes before Foligno's goal. The Blue Jackets' captain was posted in front of Greiss when Ryan Murray shot from the point. The attempt was redirected by Alexander Wennberg, then bounced off Greiss and Foligno before trickling over the goal line.
New York threatened during a power play late in the first period but was otherwise muffled during a sleepy first period. The Isles had just two shots on goal in the first 12 minutes.
Bailey pulled the Islanders even 2:21 into the second. With Kulemin battling All-Star Seth Jones atop the crease, Bailey smacked the puck toward net from beneath the right faceoff dot. The puck banked off Jones' skate — though Kulemin's stick was right there — and slid past Bobrovsky.
Kulemin then found the rebound from Calvin de Haan's point shot and backhanded it past a screened Bobrovsky for a 2-1 lead late in the second.
Nelson added to the lead 35 seconds into the third, snapping a shot from atop the right circle that beat Bobrovsky's glove to the top right corner. Chimera scored from almost the same spot five minutes later, ending Bobrovsky's night.
Chimera also got in a fight with rookie Lukas Sedlak. Chimera has 10 goals in 46 games after signing a two-year free agent contract with New York last summer.
Atkinson scored on a snap shot with 5:21 remaining.
NOTES: Wennberg's assist on Foligno's goal was his 100th NHL point. ... Islanders F Anders Lee was a late scratch because of an illness. ... Islanders F Andrew Ladd returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... New York F Anthony Beauvillier sat out after getting injured blocking a shot Sunday. ... Columbus Ds Markus Nutivaara and David Savard were scratched and both were day to day with undisclosed injuries.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Head south to face Nashville on Thursday night before returning to New York after the All-Star break to play the Rangers next Tuesday night.
Islanders: Close out January against the Eastern Conference division leaders, hosting Montreal on Thursday night and then Washington next Tuesday night.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nikolay Kulemin scored a goal and helped create another, and the New York Islanders chased All-Star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
The Islanders are 3-0-1 under interim coach Doug Weight a week after Jack Capuano was fired, ending his 6 1/2-season tenure.
Thomas Greiss made 21 saves and improved to 10-3-3 over his past 16 starts.
Kulemin put New York ahead late in the second period and created space in front for Josh Bailey's 100th NHL goal earlier in the period. Jason Chimera got his fifth goal in seven games, and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders. John Tavares had two assists.
Nick Foligno had an early score for Columbus, and Cam Atkinson got his 24th goal late.
The Blue Jackets failed to respond after coach John Tortorella questioned his club's recent effort earlier in the day. Columbus entered two points behind Washington for first place in the rugged Metropolitan Division, but is just 5-6-0 since a 16-game winning streak.
Bobrovsky stopped 20 of 24 shots before being lifted for Joonas Korpisalo.
The Islanders are still talking about making the postseason as the All-Star break approaches, even as they try to climb out of the basement. New York entered tied for last in the Eastern Conference, but it was just five points out of the final wild-card spot and has games in hand on nearly the entire conference.
Columbus dominated possession early but had only three shots on goal in the first 8 1/2 minutes before Foligno's goal. The Blue Jackets' captain was posted in front of Greiss when Ryan Murray shot from the point. The attempt was redirected by Alexander Wennberg, then bounced off Greiss and Foligno before trickling over the goal line.
New York threatened during a power play late in the first period but was otherwise muffled during a sleepy first period. The Isles had just two shots on goal in the first 12 minutes.
Bailey pulled the Islanders even 2:21 into the second. With Kulemin battling All-Star Seth Jones atop the crease, Bailey smacked the puck toward net from beneath the right faceoff dot. The puck banked off Jones' skate — though Kulemin's stick was right there — and slid past Bobrovsky.
Kulemin then found the rebound from Calvin de Haan's point shot and backhanded it past a screened Bobrovsky for a 2-1 lead late in the second.
Nelson added to the lead 35 seconds into the third, snapping a shot from atop the right circle that beat Bobrovsky's glove to the top right corner. Chimera scored from almost the same spot five minutes later, ending Bobrovsky's night.
Chimera also got in a fight with rookie Lukas Sedlak. Chimera has 10 goals in 46 games after signing a two-year free agent contract with New York last summer.
Atkinson scored on a snap shot with 5:21 remaining.
NOTES: Wennberg's assist on Foligno's goal was his 100th NHL point. ... Islanders F Anders Lee was a late scratch because of an illness. ... Islanders F Andrew Ladd returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... New York F Anthony Beauvillier sat out after getting injured blocking a shot Sunday. ... Columbus Ds Markus Nutivaara and David Savard were scratched and both were day to day with undisclosed injuries.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Head south to face Nashville on Thursday night before returning to New York after the All-Star break to play the Rangers next Tuesday night.
Islanders: Close out January against the Eastern Conference division leaders, hosting Montreal on Thursday night and then Washington next Tuesday night.
Mayor Bill de Blasio unveils $85 million budget for 2018.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday unveiled an $84.7 billion budget proposal for New York City that outlined his spending priorities.
It includes money for putting bullet resistant glass in every NYPD patrol car.
“This is a budget against a backdrop of a lot of uncertainty,” Mr. de Blasio said at the start of a news conference in City Hall.
The mayor is also proposing a billion dollar plan to improve public housing.
“It’s a budget that focuses on what we can do for ourselves while we wait to see the shape of things in Washington,” Mr. de Blasio said, adding that a revised budget proposal in the spring might be able to take those factors into account.
It includes money for putting bullet resistant glass in every NYPD patrol car.
“This is a budget against a backdrop of a lot of uncertainty,” Mr. de Blasio said at the start of a news conference in City Hall.
The mayor is also proposing a billion dollar plan to improve public housing.
“It’s a budget that focuses on what we can do for ourselves while we wait to see the shape of things in Washington,” Mr. de Blasio said, adding that a revised budget proposal in the spring might be able to take those factors into account.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Spurs rout Nets 112-86 without Leonard, 3 other regulars
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Patty Mills scored 20 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 112-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night while playing without Kawhi Leonard and three other regulars.
Pau Gasol (broken bone, left hand) and Tony Parker (sore left foot) didn't even make the road trip, while Manu Ginobili was scheduled for a night off but couldn't have played anyway because of back spasms. Then Leonard, the Western Conference player of the week, was scratched.
The Spurs announced Leonard was resting, though coach Gregg Popovich said the All-Star forward had a sore left hand, which was wrapped after Leonard was hit while scoring a career-high 41 points in an overtime victory at Cleveland on Saturday.
Without them, the Spurs put seven players in double figures and turned the game into a blowout with a 39-point third quarter. They improved to 19-4 on the road.
Isaiah Whitehead scored 19 points for the Nets, who got more bad news before the game when they announced Jeremy Lin will be sidelined another three to five weeks after aggravating his strained left hamstring. They have lost eight straight at home.
TIP-INS
Spurs: With Gasol out, the Spurs signed veteran center Joel Anthony to a 10-day contract. The two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat was with the Spurs in preseason but Popovich said they had too many players and no room for him. ... The Spurs have scored 100 or more points in 21 straight games, their longest streak since 22 in a row in 1995.
Nets: The Nets gave guard Caris LeVert the night off. LeVert had foot problems in college that delayed the start of his rookie season, but coach Kenny Atkinson said LeVert was just getting a night of rest and wasn't hurt. ... The Nets have lost the last four meetings.
POP THE POLITICIAN
Popovich chided himself for sounding like a politician when he said Leonard would be out for "an injury that's not really an injury."
"That's an ignorant statement, wasn't it?" Popovich said, joking that "I shouldn't have done that. But it wasn't a lie."
TRADE TALK
Nets general manager Sean Marks said Lin's injury wouldn't influence whether he felt any urgency to trade center Brook Lopez, whose name is annually in trade rumors, before he could get hurt and ruin any chance of a deal.
"If things come up that make sense for us to move on, and that's got nothing to do with Brook, that's got to do with anybody, then we'll take a look at it," said Marks, a former Spurs player and assistant GM. "If not, we won't just jump the gun because of this, no."
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Toronto on Tuesday. San Antonio beat the Raptors 110-82 at home on Jan. 3.
Nets: Host Miami on Wednesday. The Heat have won four straight at Barclays Center.
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Patty Mills scored 20 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 and the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 112-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night while playing without Kawhi Leonard and three other regulars.
Pau Gasol (broken bone, left hand) and Tony Parker (sore left foot) didn't even make the road trip, while Manu Ginobili was scheduled for a night off but couldn't have played anyway because of back spasms. Then Leonard, the Western Conference player of the week, was scratched.
The Spurs announced Leonard was resting, though coach Gregg Popovich said the All-Star forward had a sore left hand, which was wrapped after Leonard was hit while scoring a career-high 41 points in an overtime victory at Cleveland on Saturday.
Without them, the Spurs put seven players in double figures and turned the game into a blowout with a 39-point third quarter. They improved to 19-4 on the road.
Isaiah Whitehead scored 19 points for the Nets, who got more bad news before the game when they announced Jeremy Lin will be sidelined another three to five weeks after aggravating his strained left hamstring. They have lost eight straight at home.
TIP-INS
Spurs: With Gasol out, the Spurs signed veteran center Joel Anthony to a 10-day contract. The two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat was with the Spurs in preseason but Popovich said they had too many players and no room for him. ... The Spurs have scored 100 or more points in 21 straight games, their longest streak since 22 in a row in 1995.
Nets: The Nets gave guard Caris LeVert the night off. LeVert had foot problems in college that delayed the start of his rookie season, but coach Kenny Atkinson said LeVert was just getting a night of rest and wasn't hurt. ... The Nets have lost the last four meetings.
POP THE POLITICIAN
Popovich chided himself for sounding like a politician when he said Leonard would be out for "an injury that's not really an injury."
"That's an ignorant statement, wasn't it?" Popovich said, joking that "I shouldn't have done that. But it wasn't a lie."
TRADE TALK
Nets general manager Sean Marks said Lin's injury wouldn't influence whether he felt any urgency to trade center Brook Lopez, whose name is annually in trade rumors, before he could get hurt and ruin any chance of a deal.
"If things come up that make sense for us to move on, and that's got nothing to do with Brook, that's got to do with anybody, then we'll take a look at it," said Marks, a former Spurs player and assistant GM. "If not, we won't just jump the gun because of this, no."
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Toronto on Tuesday. San Antonio beat the Raptors 110-82 at home on Jan. 3.
Nets: Host Miami on Wednesday. The Heat have won four straight at Barclays Center.
Knicks hold off Pacers' late charge for 109-103 victory
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony rescued the Knicks in the nick of time Monday night.
After watching his teammates relinquish a 17-point lead over the final 17 minutes, New York's star forward finally took matters into his own hands.
With the score tied at 103 and 23.4 seconds left, Anthony beat a switch and knocked down a 14-foot baseline jumper to help the Knicks hold on for a rare victory at Indiana, 109-103 over the Pacers.
"I don't even want to think about that - if this one got away," Anthony said after scoring 26 points and grabbing five rebounds. "This is the time where we have to come together as a group and lock in and figure this thing out."
This time, they finally got it right.
The win ended a two-game skid overall and a nine-game regular-season losing streak at Indiana, where the Knicks last won on March 17, 2012. And after his team was 6-7 in games decided by four or fewer points, Anthony made sure New York came out on top this time.
Yes, an overly aggressive Anthony drew a foul that sent his Olympic teammate, Paul George, to the free throw line with a chance to tie the score at 103 with 42 seconds to go. The league's top free throw shooter didn't miss.
But after the Knicks called a timeout, Derrick Rose found Anthony in the perfect spot and he took care of the rest. Rose finished with 20 points and six assists.
"It was devastating - what, three, four losses were like this? Five or six games like this?" Rose said. "All of them are devastating. This one would have been another one on the list. Like I said, it makes you a better team."
For a while, it looked as though the Knicks would coast.
After falling into a 14-point hole, they charged back with a 40-point second quarter to take a 62-58 halftime lead and extended the margin to 84-67 with 4:58 left in the third quarter.
George, who had 31 points and seven rebounds, and Myles Turner, who had 22 and 10, quickly led the Pacers back. They cut the deficit to 86-75 after three, got within 100-99 on Turner's acrobatic dunk off a rebound and finally tied the score on George's free throws.
But Anthony answered with his clutch basket, Turner dropped a pass that rolled out of bounds and the Pacers didn't score again.
"The second quarter was a huge quarter," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "When you play like that, you've got to make plays down the stretch."
TIP-INS
Knicks: Courtney Lee and Willy Hernangomez each had 14 points. Justin Holiday finished with 13. ... Injured forward Lance Thomas (fractured left orbit) has rejoined the team and been fitted for a new mask but is not yet ready to play, coach Jeff Hornacek said. ... New York shot 22 free throws in the first half and finished 31 of 35 from the line.
Pacers: Have lost three straight. ... C.J. Miles replaced Glenn Robinson III in the starting lineup and scored 10 points but missed a 3-pointer from the corner in the closing seconds. ... Indiana was outscored 18-3 on fast-break points. ... Indiana has lost four games this season after leading by double digits.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
While George received his Olympic ring from USA Basketball before the game, he was not the only gold medalist in the building.
Dream Team member Larry Bird took his usual seat in the corner near the Pacers bench. Former Pacers star and 1996 gold medalist Reggie Miller sat at the broadcast table. Anthony, of course, was on the court with George, and in the stands was outspoken Indiana University swimmer Lilly King.
Miller had a photo taken with King before the game and told reporters he became a big fan of King's because of her brash talk in Rio.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Pacers: Thursday at Minnesota, where they have won two in a row.
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Carmelo Anthony rescued the Knicks in the nick of time Monday night.
After watching his teammates relinquish a 17-point lead over the final 17 minutes, New York's star forward finally took matters into his own hands.
With the score tied at 103 and 23.4 seconds left, Anthony beat a switch and knocked down a 14-foot baseline jumper to help the Knicks hold on for a rare victory at Indiana, 109-103 over the Pacers.
"I don't even want to think about that - if this one got away," Anthony said after scoring 26 points and grabbing five rebounds. "This is the time where we have to come together as a group and lock in and figure this thing out."
This time, they finally got it right.
The win ended a two-game skid overall and a nine-game regular-season losing streak at Indiana, where the Knicks last won on March 17, 2012. And after his team was 6-7 in games decided by four or fewer points, Anthony made sure New York came out on top this time.
Yes, an overly aggressive Anthony drew a foul that sent his Olympic teammate, Paul George, to the free throw line with a chance to tie the score at 103 with 42 seconds to go. The league's top free throw shooter didn't miss.
But after the Knicks called a timeout, Derrick Rose found Anthony in the perfect spot and he took care of the rest. Rose finished with 20 points and six assists.
"It was devastating - what, three, four losses were like this? Five or six games like this?" Rose said. "All of them are devastating. This one would have been another one on the list. Like I said, it makes you a better team."
For a while, it looked as though the Knicks would coast.
After falling into a 14-point hole, they charged back with a 40-point second quarter to take a 62-58 halftime lead and extended the margin to 84-67 with 4:58 left in the third quarter.
George, who had 31 points and seven rebounds, and Myles Turner, who had 22 and 10, quickly led the Pacers back. They cut the deficit to 86-75 after three, got within 100-99 on Turner's acrobatic dunk off a rebound and finally tied the score on George's free throws.
But Anthony answered with his clutch basket, Turner dropped a pass that rolled out of bounds and the Pacers didn't score again.
"The second quarter was a huge quarter," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "When you play like that, you've got to make plays down the stretch."
TIP-INS
Knicks: Courtney Lee and Willy Hernangomez each had 14 points. Justin Holiday finished with 13. ... Injured forward Lance Thomas (fractured left orbit) has rejoined the team and been fitted for a new mask but is not yet ready to play, coach Jeff Hornacek said. ... New York shot 22 free throws in the first half and finished 31 of 35 from the line.
Pacers: Have lost three straight. ... C.J. Miles replaced Glenn Robinson III in the starting lineup and scored 10 points but missed a 3-pointer from the corner in the closing seconds. ... Indiana was outscored 18-3 on fast-break points. ... Indiana has lost four games this season after leading by double digits.
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
While George received his Olympic ring from USA Basketball before the game, he was not the only gold medalist in the building.
Dream Team member Larry Bird took his usual seat in the corner near the Pacers bench. Former Pacers star and 1996 gold medalist Reggie Miller sat at the broadcast table. Anthony, of course, was on the court with George, and in the stands was outspoken Indiana University swimmer Lilly King.
Miller had a photo taken with King before the game and told reporters he became a big fan of King's because of her brash talk in Rio.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Pacers: Thursday at Minnesota, where they have won two in a row.
Lundqvist stops 36 shots, Rangers beat Kings 3-2
By VIN A. CHERWOO
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- After a rough stretch, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist seems to have regained his form.
Lundqvist stopped 36 shots to lead New York to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night for their third straight win.
Lundqvist has now given up just four goals on 84 shots during the winning streak - including a 1-0 shutout at Detroit on Sunday - after allowing 20 on 113 shots the previous four games. That stretch included giving up seven goals before being lifted after two periods in a 7-6 loss to Dallas at Madison Square Garden last Tuesday.
"I simplified my focus I think three games ago," Lundqvist said. "It helps me be on my toes a little bit. ... I just try to simplify everything and have a little higher readiness than before."
Brandon Pirri, Matt Puempel and Mats Zuccarello scored for New York.
Lundqvist needed to be at his best in this one as the Kings, who last played Saturday across town against the Islanders, seemed a step faster from the start and controlled play for most of the first two periods while outshooting the Rangers 22-9.
"We knew coming in this was a high volume team in shots," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "They throw pucks at the net, you have to do a good job of controlling his rebounds, and we have to do a good job when there were some rebounds in front of the net, to clear that net."
Jordan Nolan and Kyle Clifford scored, and Jeff Zatkoff finished with 14 saves for Los Angeles, which has lost four straight and five of seven.
"We had a lot of opportunities. You have to finish," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "At the end of the day, we need better goaltending. Have to steal a game once in a while."
After a giveaway by Zatkoff, J.T. Miller chased down the puck in the right corner and sent a pass back to Zuccarello in the right circle, and he fired it past the goalie for his ninth of the season at 6:40 of the third to make it 3-1. It was Zuccarello's first goal since Dec. 15 at Dallas - he had 17 assists in 14 games since - and extended his point streak to six games.
"He's been playing outstanding ... one of our best two-way forwards," Vigneault said. "Scoring is maybe the final product, but he's set up a lot of guys for goals, and he's played real hard at both ends of the rink."
With Zatkoff pulled for an extra skater, Clifford pulled Los Angeles within one with about one second left on the clock.
Puempel, back after missing eight games with concussion symptoms, doubled the lead on an odd-man rush with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second period when he took a pass from Derek Stepan and wristed it past Zatkoff for his sixth.
Nolan got the Kings on the scoreboard with 2:01 left in the second, rifling a shot top shelf from outside the left circle.
Los Angeles had a 10-1 advantage on shots over the first 11 1/2 minutes of the game until the Rangers capitalized on a Kings turnover. Brayden McNabb sent a pass from behind the Kings' net that went off Nick Shore's stick right to Pirri , who wristed it past Zatkoff for his eighth.
Lundqvist made a pair of nice saves on Kings leading scorer Jeff Carter in the opening period. First, he made a pad save on a tip attempt shortly before the Rangers' goal, and then stopped Carter on a short-handed breakaway with about 1 1/2 minutes to go.
"Timely save," Vigneault said of the late-period stop. "The teams that are winning more than one game, you look at those teams, and the one common denominator is goaltending. And the one common denominator in goaltending is that timely save."
NOTES: Sutter remained tied with Jacques Lemaire for 12th on the NHL wins list at 617. ... C Anze Kopitar tied Rob Blake for fifth place on the Kings' games played list with 805. ... The teams conclude their season series March 25 at Los Angeles. ... Vigneault coached his 1,100th game, becoming the 18th coach in NHL history to reach the milestone. ... New York improved to 20-7-1 when scoring first and 19-2-0 when leading after two.
UP NEXT
Kings: At New Jersey on Tuesday night in the third game of a five-game trip.
Rangers: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- After a rough stretch, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist seems to have regained his form.
Lundqvist stopped 36 shots to lead New York to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night for their third straight win.
Lundqvist has now given up just four goals on 84 shots during the winning streak - including a 1-0 shutout at Detroit on Sunday - after allowing 20 on 113 shots the previous four games. That stretch included giving up seven goals before being lifted after two periods in a 7-6 loss to Dallas at Madison Square Garden last Tuesday.
"I simplified my focus I think three games ago," Lundqvist said. "It helps me be on my toes a little bit. ... I just try to simplify everything and have a little higher readiness than before."
Brandon Pirri, Matt Puempel and Mats Zuccarello scored for New York.
Lundqvist needed to be at his best in this one as the Kings, who last played Saturday across town against the Islanders, seemed a step faster from the start and controlled play for most of the first two periods while outshooting the Rangers 22-9.
"We knew coming in this was a high volume team in shots," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "They throw pucks at the net, you have to do a good job of controlling his rebounds, and we have to do a good job when there were some rebounds in front of the net, to clear that net."
Jordan Nolan and Kyle Clifford scored, and Jeff Zatkoff finished with 14 saves for Los Angeles, which has lost four straight and five of seven.
"We had a lot of opportunities. You have to finish," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "At the end of the day, we need better goaltending. Have to steal a game once in a while."
After a giveaway by Zatkoff, J.T. Miller chased down the puck in the right corner and sent a pass back to Zuccarello in the right circle, and he fired it past the goalie for his ninth of the season at 6:40 of the third to make it 3-1. It was Zuccarello's first goal since Dec. 15 at Dallas - he had 17 assists in 14 games since - and extended his point streak to six games.
"He's been playing outstanding ... one of our best two-way forwards," Vigneault said. "Scoring is maybe the final product, but he's set up a lot of guys for goals, and he's played real hard at both ends of the rink."
With Zatkoff pulled for an extra skater, Clifford pulled Los Angeles within one with about one second left on the clock.
Puempel, back after missing eight games with concussion symptoms, doubled the lead on an odd-man rush with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second period when he took a pass from Derek Stepan and wristed it past Zatkoff for his sixth.
Nolan got the Kings on the scoreboard with 2:01 left in the second, rifling a shot top shelf from outside the left circle.
Los Angeles had a 10-1 advantage on shots over the first 11 1/2 minutes of the game until the Rangers capitalized on a Kings turnover. Brayden McNabb sent a pass from behind the Kings' net that went off Nick Shore's stick right to Pirri , who wristed it past Zatkoff for his eighth.
Lundqvist made a pair of nice saves on Kings leading scorer Jeff Carter in the opening period. First, he made a pad save on a tip attempt shortly before the Rangers' goal, and then stopped Carter on a short-handed breakaway with about 1 1/2 minutes to go.
"Timely save," Vigneault said of the late-period stop. "The teams that are winning more than one game, you look at those teams, and the one common denominator is goaltending. And the one common denominator in goaltending is that timely save."
NOTES: Sutter remained tied with Jacques Lemaire for 12th on the NHL wins list at 617. ... C Anze Kopitar tied Rob Blake for fifth place on the Kings' games played list with 805. ... The teams conclude their season series March 25 at Los Angeles. ... Vigneault coached his 1,100th game, becoming the 18th coach in NHL history to reach the milestone. ... New York improved to 20-7-1 when scoring first and 19-2-0 when leading after two.
UP NEXT
Kings: At New Jersey on Tuesday night in the third game of a five-game trip.
Rangers: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Small Craft Advisory
Statement as of 5:46 am EST on January 24, 2017
For New York, NY.
... Small Craft Advisory in effect until 6 am EST Wednesday...
... Gale Warning is cancelled...
The National Weather Service in Upton has issued a Small Craft Advisory... which is in effect until 6 am EST Wednesday. The Gale Warning has been cancelled.
* Winds and seas... north winds 20 to 30 kt. Occasional gusts up to 35 kt early this morning. Seas 4 to 8 feet across the Long Island Sound.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Small Craft Advisory means that sustained wind speeds or frequent gusts of 25 to 33 kt and/or seas of 5 ft or higher are expected or occurring... and hazardous to small craft. Inexperienced mariners... especially those operating smaller vessels... should avoid navigating in these conditions.
For New York, NY.
... Small Craft Advisory in effect until 6 am EST Wednesday...
... Gale Warning is cancelled...
The National Weather Service in Upton has issued a Small Craft Advisory... which is in effect until 6 am EST Wednesday. The Gale Warning has been cancelled.
* Winds and seas... north winds 20 to 30 kt. Occasional gusts up to 35 kt early this morning. Seas 4 to 8 feet across the Long Island Sound.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Small Craft Advisory means that sustained wind speeds or frequent gusts of 25 to 33 kt and/or seas of 5 ft or higher are expected or occurring... and hazardous to small craft. Inexperienced mariners... especially those operating smaller vessels... should avoid navigating in these conditions.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Miller's goal gives Rangers 1-0 win over Detroit in OT
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Henrik Lundqvist had little time to react to Henrik Zetterberg's shot from point-blank range in the third period.
The puck hit the New York goalie in the helmet and bounced away.
"Those shots hurt in practice," Lundqvist said. "But when you make a save like that in a scoreless game, it's a great feeling."
That was one of the few good scoring chances for either team Sunday, and when J.T. Miller finally scored in overtime, Lundqvist and the New York Rangers prevailed 1-0 over the Detroit Red Wings. Lundqvist made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season and 61st of his career.
Lundqvist has allowed only two goals over his past two games after letting in 20 in the previous four.
"The defense was really structured in front of me, and I was able to take advantage of that," he said. "In these last two games, I've tried to keep the puck in front of me and stay patient. That's what I had gotten away from."
The Rangers managed only 19 shots in the game, which ended on Miller's goal at 1:56 of overtime. Mats Zuccarello and Miller swooped in alone on Detroit goalie Jared Coreau, then Zuccarello made a simple pass to Miller, who lifted the puck over Coreau for his 16th goal of the season.
"I always liked the 3 on 3. It's a lot more exciting, I think," Coreau said. "That's the nature of it. At one end, a couple bounces here and there, goes off the glass, they get a breakaway."
Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall played for the first time since Jan. 4, returning from a lower-body injury. The Red Wings put forward Drew Miller on waivers.
"Drew wants to play, so here's an opportunity potentially if there's another suitor out there, where he could play," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.
The Red Wings have earned points in five straight games, going 3-0-2.
New York has won two in a row following a three-game losing streak. The Rangers had 81 shots on goal over their previous two games but didn't do much offensively against the Red Wings.
"Neither team was generating a lot of offensive chances," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "The quality of the ice today was just horrendous, and when you can't put two passes together, it is hard to demonstrate any skill. There wasn't any room in the neutral zone, so both teams were just crossing the red line and dumping it in to try to create something down low."
Lundqvist's previous shutout this season was Nov. 1 against St. Louis. He made 35 saves in that 5-0 victory. His .904 save percentage this season is well below his norm - he's never finished lower than .912.
"Hank has gone through some challenging times, but he worked at it and now he's back to where we need him," Vigneault said. "That was a big shutout for us."
NOTES: Red Wings F Thomas Vanek hit the post from in close late in the first, but he left the game after the period with a lower-body injury and didn't return. Blashill said he didn't think it was anything "long, long term" but he'd know more Monday. ... The Rangers improved to 17-7-0 on the road. They have the most road victories in the NHL. ... Rangers rookie Pavel Buchnevich had his eight-game point streak snapped.
UP NEXT
Rangers: New York returns home to host Los Angeles on Monday night. The Kings are coming off a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Red Wings: Detroit is at Boston on Tuesday night.
AP Sports Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Henrik Lundqvist had little time to react to Henrik Zetterberg's shot from point-blank range in the third period.
The puck hit the New York goalie in the helmet and bounced away.
"Those shots hurt in practice," Lundqvist said. "But when you make a save like that in a scoreless game, it's a great feeling."
That was one of the few good scoring chances for either team Sunday, and when J.T. Miller finally scored in overtime, Lundqvist and the New York Rangers prevailed 1-0 over the Detroit Red Wings. Lundqvist made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season and 61st of his career.
Lundqvist has allowed only two goals over his past two games after letting in 20 in the previous four.
"The defense was really structured in front of me, and I was able to take advantage of that," he said. "In these last two games, I've tried to keep the puck in front of me and stay patient. That's what I had gotten away from."
The Rangers managed only 19 shots in the game, which ended on Miller's goal at 1:56 of overtime. Mats Zuccarello and Miller swooped in alone on Detroit goalie Jared Coreau, then Zuccarello made a simple pass to Miller, who lifted the puck over Coreau for his 16th goal of the season.
"I always liked the 3 on 3. It's a lot more exciting, I think," Coreau said. "That's the nature of it. At one end, a couple bounces here and there, goes off the glass, they get a breakaway."
Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall played for the first time since Jan. 4, returning from a lower-body injury. The Red Wings put forward Drew Miller on waivers.
"Drew wants to play, so here's an opportunity potentially if there's another suitor out there, where he could play," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.
The Red Wings have earned points in five straight games, going 3-0-2.
New York has won two in a row following a three-game losing streak. The Rangers had 81 shots on goal over their previous two games but didn't do much offensively against the Red Wings.
"Neither team was generating a lot of offensive chances," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "The quality of the ice today was just horrendous, and when you can't put two passes together, it is hard to demonstrate any skill. There wasn't any room in the neutral zone, so both teams were just crossing the red line and dumping it in to try to create something down low."
Lundqvist's previous shutout this season was Nov. 1 against St. Louis. He made 35 saves in that 5-0 victory. His .904 save percentage this season is well below his norm - he's never finished lower than .912.
"Hank has gone through some challenging times, but he worked at it and now he's back to where we need him," Vigneault said. "That was a big shutout for us."
NOTES: Red Wings F Thomas Vanek hit the post from in close late in the first, but he left the game after the period with a lower-body injury and didn't return. Blashill said he didn't think it was anything "long, long term" but he'd know more Monday. ... The Rangers improved to 17-7-0 on the road. They have the most road victories in the NHL. ... Rangers rookie Pavel Buchnevich had his eight-game point streak snapped.
UP NEXT
Rangers: New York returns home to host Los Angeles on Monday night. The Kings are coming off a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Red Wings: Detroit is at Boston on Tuesday night.
Giroux scores 3:20 into OT to lift Flyers past Islanders
By ALLAN KREDA
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Philadelphia Flyers desperately needed a victory, especially on the road, and they got it thanks to their captain.
Claude Giroux scored at 3:20 of overtime as the Flyers rallied to beat the Islanders 3-2 Sunday night to end New York's three-game winning streak. It was Philadelphia's first road win since Dec. 14 at Colorado, ending a nine-game losing streak (0-7-2) away from home.
Giroux's 11th goal of the season came on pass from defenseman Shayne Gostibehere from behind the net, giving the Flyers the morale-building victory win after trailing 2-0. Philadelphia was 3-9-3 in its previous 15 since a 10-game winning streak.
"No question we needed a win," Flyers coach Dave Haksol said. "I don't think guys were getting too far off center but probably the biggest thing was the outlook we had, coming in and playing focused."
Wayne Simmonds scored late in the second period to pull the Flyers within one and Ivan Provorov tied it early in the third. Steve Mason finished with 36 saves.
"We were playing well and had a lot of chances and they weren't going in," Giroux said. "When Wayne got that goal, it was a relief on the bench. I never saw such a celebration for a first goal."
Nick Leddy and Alan Quine scored for New York, and Thomas Greiss stopped 44 shots.
Before Giroux's winner, Greiss denied Provorov on a point-blank attempt. Mason matched that save, denying Islanders captain Tavares on a breakaway after Jason Chimera fed him the puck.
The Islanders had two power-play chances midway through the third period without converting.
"We seemed sluggish and our execution wasn't as good as it was our last two games," said Tavares, who leads the Islanders with 19 goals and 36 points but was held off the scoresheet. "Today wasn't our best. We'll rest up and get ready for a tough couple of games heading into the All-Star break."
The Flyers had their chance with the man advantage when Cal Clutterbuck was called for tripping with 2:53 left but also failed to score. The Flyers held a 42-34 shots advantage heading into overtime.
Leddy opened the scoring with 6:35 to go in the first period, snaring a loose puck that had squirted free after a scramble in front of the Flyers net and firing the puck over a fallen Mason.
Tavares rushed in on Mason but neither he nor linemates Josh Bailey or Anders Lee could beat Mason before the puck found its way out to Leddy, who scored his eighth.
The Flyers outshot the Islanders 15-8 in the first but Greiss continued his strong play, stopping all Flyers attempts.
The Islanders' starting goalie since Jaroslav Halak was sent to AHL Bridgeport three weeks ago, Greiss continued his stellar play in the second with another 18 saves.
Quine made it 2-0 at 4:47 of the second, flipping the puck over Mason for his fourth goal of the season.
Simmonds finally broke through for the Flyers with 5:50 left in the second period to narrow the deficit to 2-1. The goal ended Greiss' shutout streak at 154:10 following shutout wins at Boston last Monday and at home against Dallas last Thursday night.
Simmonds' goal was his team-leading 19th this season.
"We made bounces go our way," said Simmonds. "As long as you're working hard, generally things catch up with you."
Provorov tied it at 1:47 of the third on a dazzling solo effort around the Islanders' defense before beating Greiss for his fourth.
With both teams playing the second game of weekend back-to-backs, the Islanders had more jump early. But the Flyers seemed to find their legs once Simmonds scored late in the second and into the third period.
New York had won two straight games since Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano as coach last Tuesday. They beat Dallas 3-0 on Thursday and stopped the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Saturday. They also won 3-0 at Boston last Monday in Capuano's last game.
The Islanders host Columbus and Montreal before next weekend's four-day break. After hosting Washington on Jan. 31, they will play 22 of their remaining 34 games on the road. The Islanders played three games the last four days following Capuano's departure after six-plus years behind their bench.
"They battled," Weight said. "We looked a little tired but still played well in the third. Some games you don't have it as much as other ones."
Clutterbuck returned after three-game absence with an undisclosed injury while defenseman Johnny Boychuk also returned after missing two games. Forward Andrew Ladd missed his fourth straight game with an upper body injury.
NOTES: The Islanders have scored first in 21 of their last 26 games. ... New York fell to 15-0-4 when leading after two periods. ... The Flyers have allowed the game's first goal a league-high 32 times. ... The Islanders visit Philadelphia on Feb. 9 and March 30 to complete the season series.
UP NEXT
Flyers: At the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
Islanders: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Philadelphia Flyers desperately needed a victory, especially on the road, and they got it thanks to their captain.
Claude Giroux scored at 3:20 of overtime as the Flyers rallied to beat the Islanders 3-2 Sunday night to end New York's three-game winning streak. It was Philadelphia's first road win since Dec. 14 at Colorado, ending a nine-game losing streak (0-7-2) away from home.
Giroux's 11th goal of the season came on pass from defenseman Shayne Gostibehere from behind the net, giving the Flyers the morale-building victory win after trailing 2-0. Philadelphia was 3-9-3 in its previous 15 since a 10-game winning streak.
"No question we needed a win," Flyers coach Dave Haksol said. "I don't think guys were getting too far off center but probably the biggest thing was the outlook we had, coming in and playing focused."
Wayne Simmonds scored late in the second period to pull the Flyers within one and Ivan Provorov tied it early in the third. Steve Mason finished with 36 saves.
"We were playing well and had a lot of chances and they weren't going in," Giroux said. "When Wayne got that goal, it was a relief on the bench. I never saw such a celebration for a first goal."
Nick Leddy and Alan Quine scored for New York, and Thomas Greiss stopped 44 shots.
Before Giroux's winner, Greiss denied Provorov on a point-blank attempt. Mason matched that save, denying Islanders captain Tavares on a breakaway after Jason Chimera fed him the puck.
The Islanders had two power-play chances midway through the third period without converting.
"We seemed sluggish and our execution wasn't as good as it was our last two games," said Tavares, who leads the Islanders with 19 goals and 36 points but was held off the scoresheet. "Today wasn't our best. We'll rest up and get ready for a tough couple of games heading into the All-Star break."
The Flyers had their chance with the man advantage when Cal Clutterbuck was called for tripping with 2:53 left but also failed to score. The Flyers held a 42-34 shots advantage heading into overtime.
Leddy opened the scoring with 6:35 to go in the first period, snaring a loose puck that had squirted free after a scramble in front of the Flyers net and firing the puck over a fallen Mason.
Tavares rushed in on Mason but neither he nor linemates Josh Bailey or Anders Lee could beat Mason before the puck found its way out to Leddy, who scored his eighth.
The Flyers outshot the Islanders 15-8 in the first but Greiss continued his strong play, stopping all Flyers attempts.
The Islanders' starting goalie since Jaroslav Halak was sent to AHL Bridgeport three weeks ago, Greiss continued his stellar play in the second with another 18 saves.
Quine made it 2-0 at 4:47 of the second, flipping the puck over Mason for his fourth goal of the season.
Simmonds finally broke through for the Flyers with 5:50 left in the second period to narrow the deficit to 2-1. The goal ended Greiss' shutout streak at 154:10 following shutout wins at Boston last Monday and at home against Dallas last Thursday night.
Simmonds' goal was his team-leading 19th this season.
"We made bounces go our way," said Simmonds. "As long as you're working hard, generally things catch up with you."
Provorov tied it at 1:47 of the third on a dazzling solo effort around the Islanders' defense before beating Greiss for his fourth.
With both teams playing the second game of weekend back-to-backs, the Islanders had more jump early. But the Flyers seemed to find their legs once Simmonds scored late in the second and into the third period.
New York had won two straight games since Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano as coach last Tuesday. They beat Dallas 3-0 on Thursday and stopped the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Saturday. They also won 3-0 at Boston last Monday in Capuano's last game.
The Islanders host Columbus and Montreal before next weekend's four-day break. After hosting Washington on Jan. 31, they will play 22 of their remaining 34 games on the road. The Islanders played three games the last four days following Capuano's departure after six-plus years behind their bench.
"They battled," Weight said. "We looked a little tired but still played well in the third. Some games you don't have it as much as other ones."
Clutterbuck returned after three-game absence with an undisclosed injury while defenseman Johnny Boychuk also returned after missing two games. Forward Andrew Ladd missed his fourth straight game with an upper body injury.
NOTES: The Islanders have scored first in 21 of their last 26 games. ... New York fell to 15-0-4 when leading after two periods. ... The Flyers have allowed the game's first goal a league-high 32 times. ... The Islanders visit Philadelphia on Feb. 9 and March 30 to complete the season series.
UP NEXT
Flyers: At the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
Islanders: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Grabner scores 2 goals as Rangers top Maple Leafs 5-2
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
TORONTO (AP) -- Michael Grabner punished his former team while adding to a terrific start to the season.
Grabner scored two goals to help the New York Rangers snap a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
Grabner, who had nine goals in 80 games last season with Toronto, has 21 goals this season for the Rangers - his first 20-goal season since 2011-12 while with the Islanders. He saw a different-looking Maple Leafs squad than the last-place group he left behind.
"Obviously, the young guys coming in, they're just flying around out there," Grabner said. "It's fun to watch, but it's also nice when you get the win against them."
Pavel Buchnevich, Brady Skjei and J.T. Miller added goals for New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves following a series of rough outings.
"Well I think it was a big game for me, a big game for the team, to respond," Lundqvist said.
Tyler Bozak and Zach Hyman scored for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak stopped. The Maple Leafs had earned 21 of a possible 26 points in their previous 13 games (10-2-1). Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 40 shots.
Among the better first-period teams in the NHL, the Maple Leafs started slowly against the Rangers. Playing without their injured No. 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly for the first time this season - and in his four-year career - Toronto got running around in the defensive zone, matching a season high in allowing 19 shots.
A pair of lost puck battles in one instance saw Mats Zuccarello feed Skjei for the game's first goal.
The Leafs evened it up less than four minutes later on Bozak's 11th of the season. Rookie Mitch Marner added his 27th assist on the play. After firing a shot wide, Marner scooped up a loose puck in the corner and without looking, whipped a pass to the front of the net where it bounced off Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein and found Bozak, who beat Lundqvist.
New York's No. 1 goaltender entered the night in a serious slump, surrendering 26 goals in his previous six outings, including a seven-goal shellacking two nights earlier against Dallas.
James van Riemsdyk added an assist on the goal from Bozak, extending his point streak to nine games (13 points).
Buchnevich gave the Rangers the lead back about five minutes later. The Rangers rookie, who had five points in the previous three games, first kicked a bouncing puck in front of Andersen and then managed to get a stick on it before it crossed the line. Video review confirmed the goal.
Marner nearly tied it with a wicked attempt on a partial breakaway near the midway point of the second, but his shot went wide. The Rangers came right back down the ice on the same shift and scored as Miller fired Kevin Hayes' one-time feed past Andersen for his 15th goal.
Hyman nearly got the Leafs back within one while short-handed shortly after but was stopped by Lundqvist. The Leafs rookie did it himself on the next penalty kill while Corrado was in the box for the second time. Hyman stripped New York defenseman Adam Clendening of the puck in the offensive zone before outwaiting Lundqvist and then scoring.
Komarov nearly tied it in the opening moments of the third, but was denied by Lundqvist. A two-on-one opportunity between Grabner and Derek Stepan was then turned aside by Andersen. Grabner hobbled to the bench but later returned to score the fourth Rangers goal short-handed.
The 29-year-old managed to beat Andersen with his second short-handed breakaway of the game for a 4-2 lead, adding his second of the night a short while later with the Leafs net empty.
Toronto coach Mike Babcock said the club opted against bringing Grabner back because it wanted to leave roster spots open for younger players, many of whom have thrived as rookies this season.
"He did a real good job for us," Babcock said. "We would've loved to have kept him."
UP NEXT
Rangers: at Detroit on Sunday.
Maple Leafs: home vs. Ottawa on Saturday night.
TORONTO (AP) -- Michael Grabner punished his former team while adding to a terrific start to the season.
Grabner scored two goals to help the New York Rangers snap a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
Grabner, who had nine goals in 80 games last season with Toronto, has 21 goals this season for the Rangers - his first 20-goal season since 2011-12 while with the Islanders. He saw a different-looking Maple Leafs squad than the last-place group he left behind.
"Obviously, the young guys coming in, they're just flying around out there," Grabner said. "It's fun to watch, but it's also nice when you get the win against them."
Pavel Buchnevich, Brady Skjei and J.T. Miller added goals for New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves following a series of rough outings.
"Well I think it was a big game for me, a big game for the team, to respond," Lundqvist said.
Tyler Bozak and Zach Hyman scored for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak stopped. The Maple Leafs had earned 21 of a possible 26 points in their previous 13 games (10-2-1). Frederik Andersen gave up four goals on 40 shots.
Among the better first-period teams in the NHL, the Maple Leafs started slowly against the Rangers. Playing without their injured No. 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly for the first time this season - and in his four-year career - Toronto got running around in the defensive zone, matching a season high in allowing 19 shots.
A pair of lost puck battles in one instance saw Mats Zuccarello feed Skjei for the game's first goal.
The Leafs evened it up less than four minutes later on Bozak's 11th of the season. Rookie Mitch Marner added his 27th assist on the play. After firing a shot wide, Marner scooped up a loose puck in the corner and without looking, whipped a pass to the front of the net where it bounced off Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein and found Bozak, who beat Lundqvist.
New York's No. 1 goaltender entered the night in a serious slump, surrendering 26 goals in his previous six outings, including a seven-goal shellacking two nights earlier against Dallas.
James van Riemsdyk added an assist on the goal from Bozak, extending his point streak to nine games (13 points).
Buchnevich gave the Rangers the lead back about five minutes later. The Rangers rookie, who had five points in the previous three games, first kicked a bouncing puck in front of Andersen and then managed to get a stick on it before it crossed the line. Video review confirmed the goal.
Marner nearly tied it with a wicked attempt on a partial breakaway near the midway point of the second, but his shot went wide. The Rangers came right back down the ice on the same shift and scored as Miller fired Kevin Hayes' one-time feed past Andersen for his 15th goal.
Hyman nearly got the Leafs back within one while short-handed shortly after but was stopped by Lundqvist. The Leafs rookie did it himself on the next penalty kill while Corrado was in the box for the second time. Hyman stripped New York defenseman Adam Clendening of the puck in the offensive zone before outwaiting Lundqvist and then scoring.
Komarov nearly tied it in the opening moments of the third, but was denied by Lundqvist. A two-on-one opportunity between Grabner and Derek Stepan was then turned aside by Andersen. Grabner hobbled to the bench but later returned to score the fourth Rangers goal short-handed.
The 29-year-old managed to beat Andersen with his second short-handed breakaway of the game for a 4-2 lead, adding his second of the night a short while later with the Leafs net empty.
Toronto coach Mike Babcock said the club opted against bringing Grabner back because it wanted to leave roster spots open for younger players, many of whom have thrived as rookies this season.
"He did a real good job for us," Babcock said. "We would've loved to have kept him."
UP NEXT
Rangers: at Detroit on Sunday.
Maple Leafs: home vs. Ottawa on Saturday night.
Tavares, Greiss give Weight win in Islanders debut
By JAKE SEINER
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Getting a new coach this week didn't change things much for the Islanders - and oddly enough, that's a good thing for New York.
John Tavares narrowly missed out on his second hat trick in a week, Thomas Greiss got his second straight shutout and the Islanders beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 on Thursday night in their first game since firing longtime coach Jack Capuano.
New York canned Capuano in the middle of his seventh season Tuesday, replacing him on an interim basis with Doug Weight.
"We had guys battle," Weight said. "Top-to-bottom effort led by our captain and goalie."
The new boss made a few adjustments, namely on the power play - though after going 0 for 7, that's still a work in progress.
In the end, New York got this victory in a familiar fashion.
Tavares scored three times in a 5-2 win over Florida last Friday, then appeared to have a hat trick until a video review took away his apparent goal against Carolina on Saturday.
He again scored twice against Dallas, getting a flashy even-strength goal in the first period, and then converting on a short-handed breakaway with 3:06 left in the third. It was the first short-handed goal of Tavares' career.
Moments after the latter goal, he had an empty-net shot just deflected wide.
The Isles captain has seven goals in four games despite the big personnel change in the middle of that run.
"A good response from the guys after a pretty emotional day and a half," Tavares said. "Came out and played some good hockey. A good effort all around."
And then there's Greiss, who stopped 23 shots against Dallas after making 32 saves in a 4-0 win over Boston on Monday. The consecutive shutouts come after Greiss allowed seven goals against Carolina last Saturday.
He called this "an awesome night."
"Our goaltending was a 10 - cool, calm and collected," defenseman Thomas Hickey said. "It rubs off on everybody."
Calvin de Haan added an empty-net goal on a coast-to-coast shot with 4 seconds left.
Kari Lehtonen made 33 saves for Dallas, including breakaway denials on Tavares and Shane Prince. The Stars were coming off a wild 7-6 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, but they left all the offense in Manhattan and dropped to 3-12-4 in games following a victory this season.
"It's disappointing, frustrating," defenseman Dan Hamhuis said. "It was a huge game for us."
Tavares got his 17th goal with 6:29 left in the first period. After taking a pass from Anders Lee, the All-Star slid the puck behind John Klingberg while cutting in front of the Dallas defenseman, met the puck on the other side of Klingberg and smacked it past Lehtonen for a 1-0 lead.
Tavares picked up his short-handed score on a low wrist shot. Dallas entered trailing Philadelphia by one for the league lead in short-handed goals allowed.
Weight was an assistant GM and coach with New York before his promotion this week. The Islanders entered Thursday in last place and eight points shy of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, though they have games in hand on nearly the entire league.
Weight said Wednesday that he doesn't plan to "reinvent the wheel" as interim coach, but said New York was "going to tweak some things in certain systems."
The power play is one obvious area that needs improvement - New York entered Thursday ranked 28th in the league. Weight certainly got creative, even keeping Tavares off the ice for man-up stretches later in the game.
Lehtonen's breakaway saves kept it close. He denied Tavares on a rising wrist shot in the first period, then stopped Prince's sweeping deke with a sliding leg save.
NOTES: Islanders D Johnny Boychuk sat out because of an upper-body injury. The team said he is day-to-day. ... Isles Fs Andrew Ladd (upper-body injury) and Cal Clutterbuck (lower-body injury) each missed their second straight games. Both are day-to-day. ... Dallas Ds Johnny Oduya and Jamie Oleksiak were scratched with injuries. Oduya aggravated an ankle injury against the Rangers and will be out two to four games, and Oleksiak is dealing with an upper-body issue. ... UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was at the game with her title belt. Nunes knocked out MMA superstar Ronda Rousey for the championship on Dec. 30.
UP NEXT
Stars: Return to Texas for a six-game homestand beginning with a game Saturday night against Washington.
Islanders: Continue their six-game homestand when the Kings play here Saturday night.
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Getting a new coach this week didn't change things much for the Islanders - and oddly enough, that's a good thing for New York.
John Tavares narrowly missed out on his second hat trick in a week, Thomas Greiss got his second straight shutout and the Islanders beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 on Thursday night in their first game since firing longtime coach Jack Capuano.
New York canned Capuano in the middle of his seventh season Tuesday, replacing him on an interim basis with Doug Weight.
"We had guys battle," Weight said. "Top-to-bottom effort led by our captain and goalie."
The new boss made a few adjustments, namely on the power play - though after going 0 for 7, that's still a work in progress.
In the end, New York got this victory in a familiar fashion.
Tavares scored three times in a 5-2 win over Florida last Friday, then appeared to have a hat trick until a video review took away his apparent goal against Carolina on Saturday.
He again scored twice against Dallas, getting a flashy even-strength goal in the first period, and then converting on a short-handed breakaway with 3:06 left in the third. It was the first short-handed goal of Tavares' career.
Moments after the latter goal, he had an empty-net shot just deflected wide.
The Isles captain has seven goals in four games despite the big personnel change in the middle of that run.
"A good response from the guys after a pretty emotional day and a half," Tavares said. "Came out and played some good hockey. A good effort all around."
And then there's Greiss, who stopped 23 shots against Dallas after making 32 saves in a 4-0 win over Boston on Monday. The consecutive shutouts come after Greiss allowed seven goals against Carolina last Saturday.
He called this "an awesome night."
"Our goaltending was a 10 - cool, calm and collected," defenseman Thomas Hickey said. "It rubs off on everybody."
Calvin de Haan added an empty-net goal on a coast-to-coast shot with 4 seconds left.
Kari Lehtonen made 33 saves for Dallas, including breakaway denials on Tavares and Shane Prince. The Stars were coming off a wild 7-6 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, but they left all the offense in Manhattan and dropped to 3-12-4 in games following a victory this season.
"It's disappointing, frustrating," defenseman Dan Hamhuis said. "It was a huge game for us."
Tavares got his 17th goal with 6:29 left in the first period. After taking a pass from Anders Lee, the All-Star slid the puck behind John Klingberg while cutting in front of the Dallas defenseman, met the puck on the other side of Klingberg and smacked it past Lehtonen for a 1-0 lead.
Tavares picked up his short-handed score on a low wrist shot. Dallas entered trailing Philadelphia by one for the league lead in short-handed goals allowed.
Weight was an assistant GM and coach with New York before his promotion this week. The Islanders entered Thursday in last place and eight points shy of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, though they have games in hand on nearly the entire league.
Weight said Wednesday that he doesn't plan to "reinvent the wheel" as interim coach, but said New York was "going to tweak some things in certain systems."
The power play is one obvious area that needs improvement - New York entered Thursday ranked 28th in the league. Weight certainly got creative, even keeping Tavares off the ice for man-up stretches later in the game.
Lehtonen's breakaway saves kept it close. He denied Tavares on a rising wrist shot in the first period, then stopped Prince's sweeping deke with a sliding leg save.
NOTES: Islanders D Johnny Boychuk sat out because of an upper-body injury. The team said he is day-to-day. ... Isles Fs Andrew Ladd (upper-body injury) and Cal Clutterbuck (lower-body injury) each missed their second straight games. Both are day-to-day. ... Dallas Ds Johnny Oduya and Jamie Oleksiak were scratched with injuries. Oduya aggravated an ankle injury against the Rangers and will be out two to four games, and Oleksiak is dealing with an upper-body issue. ... UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was at the game with her title belt. Nunes knocked out MMA superstar Ronda Rousey for the championship on Dec. 30.
UP NEXT
Stars: Return to Texas for a six-game homestand beginning with a game Saturday night against Washington.
Islanders: Continue their six-game homestand when the Kings play here Saturday night.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Rose powers slumping Knicks past Celtics 117-106
By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) -- New York's locker room door opened and music was blaring in the background.
It's not a scene that's happened after too many Knicks' games lately.
Derrick Rose matched his season high with 30 points, and the slumping Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 117-106 on Wednesday night.
New York played without injured starters Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah, but Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Willy Hernangomez each scored 17 points to help make up for their absence.
"It was a big win for us to come in here and kind of put everything to the side in spite of what's been surrounding the team, and really focus in on playing basketball and winning," said forward Carmelo Anthony, who reiterated his desire to stay in New York on Tuesday.
It was just their third win in 14 games in a season that's been sliding away quickly since the calendar turned to 2017.
"These guys are a determined bunch," New York coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They've had some bad breaks, we've had some bad games, but they stay in there together."
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 39 points, his 13th time this season with 30 or more points. Jae Crowder added 21 for the Celtics, who lost for only the fourth time in 17 games.
Al Horford, Boston's big free-agent acquisition during the summer, had five points on 2-of-14 shooting. He was 1 for 8 on 3-point attempts.
"That was definitely tough for me because they were good looks," he said. "I even felt good on a few of them. They just didn't go in."
Boston closed to 97-96 on Jaylen Brown's two free throws with just under eight minutes to play, but Justin Holiday and Courtney Lee nailed 3-pointers 29 seconds apart, pushing New York's lead back to seven.
Rose then capped an 8-0 spree by putting in his own miss after Thomas missed a jumper - his seventh straight shot that was off.
"Just playing my game," said Rose, who was 13 for 24 from the floor. "Just waiting for coach to call my number, just like tonight - he called my number."
TIP-INS
Knicks: Porzingis was out with a sore left Achilles and Noah was sidelined by a sore left ankle. Porzingis missed his fourth straight game, but did shoot before the game. Noah played in their last game. Both big men are expected to undergo MRIs on Thursday. ... F Lance Thomas was also out (fractured left orbital bone).
Celtics: G Avery Bradley was a late scratch with a sore right Achilles after warming up. He played in Monday's win, but had missed the previous four games after straining the same Achilles.
THAT SAYS IT ALL
"We didn't have a look most of the night that you felt good about," Boston coach Brad Stevens said.
HE WANTS TO BE AN ALL-STAR
When the All-Star starters are announced Thursday night, Thomas said he'll be watching the nationally televised NBA game.
As far as being one: "I should be," he said.
BOARD DAMAGE
The Knicks owned a 57-33 rebounding edge, doubling up Boston 18-9 on the offensive glass.
"The more desperate team, the better team tonight, the more aggressive team - they won," Stevens said.
SPECIAL MOMENT
The fans gave a loud ovation to 11-year-old Stephen Register of Needham, Massachusetts, late in the opening quarter when he was shown on the Jumbotron.
On Tuesday, as part of a Make-A-Wish memory, the team signed him to an honorary one-day contract and he practiced with Celtics players Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk, received a personalized team jersey, and participated in a press conference with players asking him questions.
He was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Washington on Thursday night for their third game in four days. The Wizards won the only other matchup - 119-112 in Washington on Nov. 17.
Celtics: Host Portland on Saturday, the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) -- New York's locker room door opened and music was blaring in the background.
It's not a scene that's happened after too many Knicks' games lately.
Derrick Rose matched his season high with 30 points, and the slumping Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 117-106 on Wednesday night.
New York played without injured starters Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah, but Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Willy Hernangomez each scored 17 points to help make up for their absence.
"It was a big win for us to come in here and kind of put everything to the side in spite of what's been surrounding the team, and really focus in on playing basketball and winning," said forward Carmelo Anthony, who reiterated his desire to stay in New York on Tuesday.
It was just their third win in 14 games in a season that's been sliding away quickly since the calendar turned to 2017.
"These guys are a determined bunch," New York coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They've had some bad breaks, we've had some bad games, but they stay in there together."
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 39 points, his 13th time this season with 30 or more points. Jae Crowder added 21 for the Celtics, who lost for only the fourth time in 17 games.
Al Horford, Boston's big free-agent acquisition during the summer, had five points on 2-of-14 shooting. He was 1 for 8 on 3-point attempts.
"That was definitely tough for me because they were good looks," he said. "I even felt good on a few of them. They just didn't go in."
Boston closed to 97-96 on Jaylen Brown's two free throws with just under eight minutes to play, but Justin Holiday and Courtney Lee nailed 3-pointers 29 seconds apart, pushing New York's lead back to seven.
Rose then capped an 8-0 spree by putting in his own miss after Thomas missed a jumper - his seventh straight shot that was off.
"Just playing my game," said Rose, who was 13 for 24 from the floor. "Just waiting for coach to call my number, just like tonight - he called my number."
TIP-INS
Knicks: Porzingis was out with a sore left Achilles and Noah was sidelined by a sore left ankle. Porzingis missed his fourth straight game, but did shoot before the game. Noah played in their last game. Both big men are expected to undergo MRIs on Thursday. ... F Lance Thomas was also out (fractured left orbital bone).
Celtics: G Avery Bradley was a late scratch with a sore right Achilles after warming up. He played in Monday's win, but had missed the previous four games after straining the same Achilles.
THAT SAYS IT ALL
"We didn't have a look most of the night that you felt good about," Boston coach Brad Stevens said.
HE WANTS TO BE AN ALL-STAR
When the All-Star starters are announced Thursday night, Thomas said he'll be watching the nationally televised NBA game.
As far as being one: "I should be," he said.
BOARD DAMAGE
The Knicks owned a 57-33 rebounding edge, doubling up Boston 18-9 on the offensive glass.
"The more desperate team, the better team tonight, the more aggressive team - they won," Stevens said.
SPECIAL MOMENT
The fans gave a loud ovation to 11-year-old Stephen Register of Needham, Massachusetts, late in the opening quarter when he was shown on the Jumbotron.
On Tuesday, as part of a Make-A-Wish memory, the team signed him to an honorary one-day contract and he practiced with Celtics players Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk, received a personalized team jersey, and participated in a press conference with players asking him questions.
He was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy.
UP NEXT
Knicks: Host Washington on Thursday night for their third game in four days. The Wizards won the only other matchup - 119-112 in Washington on Nov. 17.
Celtics: Host Portland on Saturday, the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
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