Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to a 109-97 win away to the Cleveland Cavaliers on 7 November, as the reigning NBA champions beat the side they faced in last season's Eastern Conference Finals.
According to an AFP report carried by The Straits Times, Brunson finished with 31 points, nine assists and six rebounds. He did much of his damage in the second quarter, scoring 18 points as New York pulled clear of what had been a tight contest.
Karl-Anthony Towns supported him with 29 points, 13 rebounds and two steals. The result gave the Knicks five wins from their last six games, following an 0-3 start to the campaign.
New York stretched their advantage to 19 points at one stage despite shooting only 42.7% from the field. Their work on the offensive glass proved decisive, with 16 offensive rebounds producing 26 second-chance points.
Donovan Mitchell top-scored for Cleveland with 37 points, but the Cavaliers were without centre Jarrett Allen and had no answer once Brunson took control. The defeat came a day after Cleveland had beaten the Philadelphia 76ers, who lead the Eastern Conference.
"Ugly game, but just a good win by our guys," Knicks coach Mike Brown said afterwards.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry scored 41 points, 19 of them in the fourth quarter and overtime, as the Golden State Warriors overcame the Orlando Magic 126-119 for a seventh consecutive victory. The Warriors had been 16 points up, but 19 turnovers let Orlando back in, and Jamal Cain levelled the game with 1.5 seconds left in regulation. Curry, 38, then completed a three-point play and added a late layup in the extra period. It was his second 40-point game of the season and his 16th since turning 35, moving him past LeBron James for the most by a player in that age bracket.
In Mexico City, Nikola Jokic posted 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers 114-102 at Arena CDMX, in the NBA's 16th regular-season game in Mexico. Denver let a 27-point lead shrink to seven in the fourth quarter before holding on. Pascal Siakam scored a game-high 23 for Indiana.
The Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Washington Wizards 114-75, the lowest score by any team in the league this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and nine assists for a Thunder side missing Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace through injury.