UNDATED (AP) — The New York Knicks continue to climb the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings with their longest winning streak since 2013.
RJ Barrett scored 18 of his 24 points in the third quarter to lead the Knicks to their seventh win in a row, 109-97 over the Hornets. Barrett’s offense and the Knicks’ defense changed the game after the Hornets scored 66 points in the first half.
Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley each scored 17 points off the bench for the Knicks, who moved into fifth place in the East.
Checking out Tuesday’s other NBA action:
— Kyrie Irving scored 32 points and Joe Harris added 24 as the Nets topped the Pelicans, 134-129, putting Brooklyn within a half-game of the 76ers for the Eastern Conference lead. Irving contributed a tough turnaround jumper, a driving layup through converging defenders and four free throws in the final minute to ice the win. Landry Shamet had 18 points and eight assists for the Nets, while teammate Blake Griffin furnished 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
— Paul George had 33 points, including two free throws with 4.8 seconds left that gave the Clippers a 113-112 victory over the Trail Blazers. George also had 11 rebounds for Los Angeles which beat Portland for the sixth straight time despite playing without Kawhi Leonard. CJ McCollum had 28 points for the Blazers but missed a pullup jumper at the final buzzer.
— Trae Young scored 25 points and Lou Williams added 22 in his best game since returning to Atlanta, leading a 112-96 romp over the Magic. The Hawks took command in the second quarter, outscoring the Magic 28-13 over the final 7 minutes to build a 65-48 lead at halftime. Atlanta won for the fifth time in six games to move a step closer to locking up its first postseason berth since 2017.
— Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and a season-high 18 rebounds to carry the Timberwolves past the Kings, 134-120. Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell added 28 points apiece for the winners.
