NERLENS NOEL

Kemba Walker became the seventh NBA player with a triple-double on Christmas, and the New York Knicks beat the depleted Atlanta Hawks 101-87 for their first win on the holiday in a decade.

Freshman Trevor Keels scored 25 points and classmate Paolo Banchero added 22 to help No. 9 Duke beat 10th-ranked Kentucky 79-71 in the nightcap of the Champions Classic.

OG Anunoby scored a career-high 36 points and the Toronto Raptors won their fourth straight by beating the New York Knicks 113-104 in the 75th anniversary of the NBA’s first game.

Kemba Walker scored 21 points, RJ Barrett added 20 and the New York Knicks hung on to hand the Chicago Bulls their first loss of the season 104-103.

Kemba Walker scored 19 points in his best game with his hometown team and the New York Knicks snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-99 victory.

If Trae Young is the unquestioned star of the Atlanta Hawks, then Clint Capela is the backbone.

Trae Young put the finishing touches on his impressive first playoff series with 36 points and nine assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 103-89 in Game 5.

Philadelphia, Utah and Atlanta can reach the second round.

Shaking off a spitting incident at Madison Square Garden, Trae Young dazzled in the first home playoff game of his career.

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.

Alec Burks scored a season-high 30 points in his return from a three-game absence and the New York Knicks kept up their chase of home-court advantage in the playoffs by rallying to beat the San Antonio Spurs 102-98.

Julius Randle scored 28 points, Derrick Rose added 25, converting 11 of 15 shots and the New York Knicks held off the Memphis Grizzlies 118-104.

Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Julius Randle had 33 points and 10 assists, Derrick Rose made huge plays all over the court to spark New York’s streak-saving finish and the Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans 122-112 in overtime for their sixth consecutive victory.

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and the Clippers rang up the highest point total of the season against the New York Knicks on Sunday, winning 129-115 for their 10th victory in 11 games. The Clippers shredded the NBA leaders in fewest points per game allowed to break away after leading by one at halftime. The game's start time was moved up four hours by the NBA to 1 p.m., though neither that nor the Knicks' good early shooting seemed to bother the Clippers. Leonard and Jackson each scored 10 points in the period, when the Clippers made five 3-pointers and scored 35 points, taking a 101-91 lead to the fourth. Knicks: The Knicks' previous high for points allowed was 121 to Indiana in their season opener.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, left, lays the ball up as New York Knicks center Nerlens Noel (3) defends in the second half during an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz leaned on their tough defense to keep their win streak alive. Rudy Gobert had 18 points, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots, and the Jazz beat the New York Knicks 108-94 on Tuesday night for their ninth consecutive victory. New York made just 12 total baskets in the second half on the heels of shooting 55.8% from the field before halftime. “In the second half, they became more physical, they took the fight to us,” Rivers said.

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.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)NEW YORK – The 2020-21 NBA schedule will feature a play-in tournament and an NBA Finals that could run all the way until July 22 — keeping some players from competing in the Olympics. The NBA announced Tuesday how it will make up the 72-game schedule, which won't be entirely known until well after it's started. Teams will play the remaining 30 games against the opposite conference — one at home and one on the road. The league debuted the play-in tournament this year at Walt Disney World, though it only featured the Nos. The second half is March 11 to May 16, with the play-in tournament May 18-21.

Eric Gordon scored 23 points and Danuel House added 21 for the Rockets, who won the first two games of the series. The Thunder shot 47.8% and the Rockets 47.7% before the break. The Rockets led 93-80 before Schroder made a 3-pointer and Houston's Austin Rivers was called for a foul away from the shot. Schroder hot a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Oklahoma City climbed within 93-92 at the end of the third. Thunder: Shot 61% in the first quarter.