ELFRID PAYTON

Derrick Rose scored 26 points, Julius Randle shook off a miserable first half to lead a third-quarter turnaround and the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 in Game 2 to to tie the series.

Doc Rivers can’t fathom criticism of Ben Simmons, especially after the three-time All-Star became just the sixth player in NBA history to have at least 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a playoff game.

It’s being hyped as the largest indoor event in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with a crowd of 15,000 expected at Madison Square Garden.

Julius Randle had 34 points and 10 rebounds against his former team and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-96 for their third straight victory.

Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford talks to players during a timeout in the first half of the team's NBA preseason basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, in Atlanta. The NBA preseason — a truncated 49-game, nine-day sprint — opened Friday with a five-game slate, action returning to NBA arenas for the first time in exactly nine months. Friday’s games:KNICKS 90, PISTONS 84At Detroit, R.J. Barrett scored 15 points and Toppin finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in his debut as the Knicks won their preseason opener. Julius Randle scored 11, while Elfrid Payton and Nerlens Noel each scored 10 for New York. Svi Mykhailiuk and Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 14 points apiece.

New York Knicks guard Elfrid Payton (6) defends Detroit Pistons guard Bruce Brown (6) as Brown shoots during the second half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Sunday, March 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)The Detroit Pistons agreed to trade Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets for Dzanan Musa and a 2021 second-round draft pick, according to a person familiar with the deal. Trades could not become official until after the league’s transaction moratorium ended at noon Eastern on Monday. The 6-foot-4 Brown, drafted in the second round in 2018, averaged 8.9 points per game this past season for Detroit. The 6-foot-9 Musa was a first-round pick in 2018.