Knicks’ Rose a no-show in loss
Pelicans’ Davis scores 40 before being hurt
NEW YORK — Anthony Davis dominated the Knicks until they finally knocked him out of the game with a hard foul.
New York was more concerned with Derrick Rose than Davis.
Davis had 40 points and 18 rebounds before leaving with a left hip injury in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 110-96 victory over the Knicks, who started the game without Rose and lost Carmelo Anthony to an ejection.
Rose was absent for reasons that remained unclear. Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said it was too soon to discuss the issue until the team had heard from its point guard.
“Everything will become clear later on,” Hornacek said. “We want to respect whatever he’s going through and we’re just not going to comment about it.”
Joakim Noah said he had spoken to Rose, his longtime teammate in Chicago, after the game. He wouldn’t discuss the conversation other than to say Rose was OK.
“Obviously, Derrick’s one of our better players and when he’s not here it’s tough, but just happy that everything is OK with him,” Noah said.
Anthony was back in the locker room late in the third quarter after getting thrown out for arguing with the officials. He left without speaking to reporters.
Davis played only 29 minutes and blocked three shots.
“I know where we are as a team, what we are trying to do as a team and I just tried to come out aggressive,” he said. “That was it.”
He left the game when he was flagrantly fouled by Kyle O’Quinn, ejected for swinging his arm down hard on Davis, who was dribbling up the floor on a fast break and ended up being knocked into the front row of fans behind the baseline.
X-rays were negative.
THUNDER 109, BULLS 94: In Chicago, Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, helping Oklahoma City pull away for an easy victory.
Steven Adams scored 22 points and Enes Kanter had 20 points and 11 rebounds, leading a dominant performance inside for Oklahoma City. Victor Oladipo added 13 points.
Dwyane Wade led Chicago with 22 points, and Michael Carter-Williams had 15. Cristiano Felicio finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bulls had won three in a row and five of seven, but they were no match for the Thunder with Jimmy Butler hampered by an illness.
TIMBERWOLVES 101, MAVERICKS 92: In Minneapolis, Karl-Anthony Towns had 34 points and 11 rebounds, Ricky Rubio added 13 points and a season-high 15 assists, and Minnesota snapped a fourgame losing streak.
Harrison Barnes scored 30 points for the Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki had 26, including five 3-pointers.
BENNETT: The Brooklyn Nets waived Anthony Bennett, the former No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Bennett played in 23 games for the Nets, his fourth team since being the surprising top pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013. He averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.
LAKERS: Reserve guard Jordan Clarkson was fined $15,000 on Monday for hitting Heat guard Goran Dragic in the head with his forearm during Los Angeles’ 127100 victory over the Heat last week.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Boston at Toronto, today. Celtics have scored 100 or more in 11 straight games, one away from matching their longest such streak under Brad Stevens.
Indiana vs. Denver in London, Thursday. The NBA hits London for the seventh time. A 3 p.m. weekday start for fans in Indiana, 1 p.m. for those in Denver.
Memphis at Houston, Friday. Hard to find two coaches who have done better so far than the Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni and the Grizzlies’ David Fizdale.
Minnesota at Dallas, Sunday. The Mavs moved up the start, so this game should end about the same time the Cowboys-Packers playoff game kicks off.