New York Knicks Hold on for 121-112 Win Over Detroit Pistons
New York Knicks' RJ Barrett (9) drives past Detroit Pistons' Bojan Bogdanovic (44) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in New York. The Knicks won 121-112. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
RJ Barrett scored 30 points, Jalen Brunson added 26, and the New York Knicks held on to beat the Detroit Pistons, 121-112, on Friday night.
Julius Randle chipped in 21 points for the Knicks, who have won two of their last three games.
Barrett shot 10 for 17 from the field and finished with five assists and five rebounds to help New York bounce back from Wednesday night's 112-83 loss at Brooklyn.
"We played hard from the beginning. We got up to a lead and kind of kept that throughout the game," Barrett said. "It was fun basketball having multiple guys involved, everybody contributing."
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 and Alec Burks had 17 for Detroit, who have now lost five of their last six games.
The Pistons are 0-7 on the road this season.
"We shot poorly as a team from the 3-point line (7 for 31). As a team we played better defense in the second half," Bogdanovic said.
New York went on an 11-2 run to go up 79-62 on a Randle layup with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter and a pair of Derrick Rose free throws gave the Knicks a 94-80 advantage at the end of the period.
The Pistons opened the fourth quarter with a 15-7 spurt and capped it with consecutive 3-pointers from Isaiah Livers that cut the deficit to 101-95 with 7:02 left in regulation.
A stepback jumper and a pair of free throws by Bogdanovic made it 114-110 with 1:42 to play.
Barrett then knocked down a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer by Quentin Grimes in front of the Pistons bench with 40 seconds made it 119-110 to seal the Knicks victory.
Barrett scored 12 points in the first quarter, including seven during a 14-5 run that helped the Knicks take a 30-26 lead at the end of the period.
He added eight points during the second quarter, nailing a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to give New York a 68-58 halftime lead.
"(Barrett was) great downhill, attacking the basket, a lot of pressure on the rim," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We've been terrific with scoring on the paint all year long and a big part of it is the pressure that he puts on people."
San Antonio Spurs' Doug McDermott (17) drives against Milwaukee Bucks' Wesley Matthews during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Johnson leads Spurs past injury-riddled Bucks 111-93
Keldon Johnson scored 29 points, and the San Antonio Spurs stopped a five-game skid by topping the banged-up Milwaukee Bucks 111-93 on Friday night.
Devin Vassell had 22 points in San Antonio's first win since Oct. 30. Jakob Poeltl added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Milwaukee played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Kris Middleton, Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, Joe Ingles and A.J. Green due to health issues.
"We loved the win," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was great. Our guys played great. Of course, they were undermanned like crazy, but you go out and you play whoever is out there. They came to win, (they are) deep, obviously well-coached. They got a great shot to go get this thing done (and win a championship)."
Jevon Carter scored 21 points for the Bucks, and Brook Lopez had 19. Bobby Portis finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio was 12 for 31 on 3-pointers, including 5 for 8 by Johnson. The Spurs also shut out the Bucks' fast break, holding a 21-0 advantage.
Milwaukee shot a season-low 33 percent from the field, which Popovich attributed to good defense and a depleted opponent.
The Spurs outscored the Bucks 28-17 in the fourth. Johnson made a 3-pointer and a floating jumper to make it 101-83 with 4:39 left.
Milwaukee fell behind 75-54 midway through the third quarter.
"When we were down 21, that's when you're like, 'Maybe tonight is just going to be an ugly night,'" Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
San Antonio dominated the paint early with Antetokounmpo sidelined for the second straight game with a sore left knee. In the first half, the Spurs had a 28-8 advantage in the paint and had nine blocks while the Bucks only had two.
"We knew they were going to come out, they still have good players," Johnson said. "They won a championship. We knew they know how to win, so we knew if we came out lackadaisical that it could be a long night for us."
Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Fox scores 32, Kings deal Lakers 5th straight loss 120-114
One of De'Aaron Fox's goals coming into the season was to make sure he avoided a slow start.
The Sacramento guard has definitely accomplished that and is helping the Sacramento Kings find their groove.
Fox scored 32 points and had a season-high 12 assists as the Kings rallied in the fourth quarter Friday night for a 120-114 victory over the floundering Los Angeles Lakers.
"He can flat out go. I'm glad everybody is starting to see a little bit of it while we're waiting games," Kings coach Mike Brown said.
It was Fox's seventh 25-point game of the season in his 10th appearance. He is just the fifth player in franchise history with seven-plus 25-point games in the first 10 games of a season, and the first since the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985. The last Kings player to accomplish this was Tiny Archibald (nine) in 1972-73.
"I wanted to start the season on a high note. In the past I didn't play well until December or January," said Fox, who also had seven rebounds. "Everything I'm doing right now is just trying to help put my team in the best position to win."
Anthony Davis had 24 points and 14 rebounds while Russell Westbrook scored 21 points with 11 assists for the Lakers, who were without LeBron James after he suffered a groin injury in Wednesday night's loss to the Clippers.
The Lakers (2-10) have dropped five straight for the second time this season and have matched the 1957-58 and 2015-16 squads for the worst start in team history.
The loss also tied the Lakers with Houston for the NBA's worst record.
"As a staff we have to continue to grind it out and work and find the combinations to make it work," coach Darvin Ham said. "We had the game down there to the end. We had some bad fouls and turnovers. At the end of the day we have to be on the same page and compete."
Fox had 10 points and his four assists led to nine points in the fourth quarter as the Kings used an 8-0 run at the end of the game to win for the fifth time in their last seven games.
The Lakers had a 114-112 lead with 2:13 remaining after Westbrook hit a 3-pointer, before the Kings went on their run. Harrison Barnes tied it with two free throws and Fox put the Kings on top for good on a jumper with 1:06 remaining.
"He's been clutch finishing games. We ran the same play, like five times," said Domantas Sabonis, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds. "My job was to get him open, get him the ball and he did the rest."
Kevin Huerter added 16 points for the Kings, who have won four of their last five trips to the Lakers' home court.
Latvia Τhreatens Olympic Βoycott if Russians Compete
RIGA, Latvia— Latvia has threatened to boycott next year's Paris Olympics if Russian athletes are allowed to take part during the war in Ukraine and is calling on other countries to form a coalition to pressure international sports bodies.
Saudi Soccer Influence Grows by Winning Seat on FIFA Council