Knicks expect to get Carmelo’s best
Antetokounmpo, Bucks stop Celtics
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The league couldn’t have scripted it any better if it tried. After all, when the Knicks were scheduled to take on Oklahoma City on the road in their first game of the season, Carmelo Anthony was still a New York resident, Enes Kanter hadn’t been traded, and a plethora of juicy story lines had yet to be born.
And now? Well, now the question is exactly how Anthony is going to respond to these rebuilding Knicks. A day after The New York Times reported that Anthony said he was “pushed out” by the organization, will the superteam’s new power forward drop 20, 30, or 40? Against a Knicks defense that struggled spectacularly in the preseason, it all seems possible.
“Who knows?” said coach Jeff Hornacek when asked if he thought Anthony would try to pile on in tonight’s game. “I think, probably just like anything else, there might be some of that, but they also have to work on how they’re going to play. It’s the first game of the year. Everyone had short training camps, so I’m sure they’re probably just trying to get into their flow and how they’re going to play throughout these games, so it’s probably a combination.”
Though Hornacek was asked about Anthony’s comments to the Times — Anthony also said he had no support from the organization — the coach demurred and said it was best to ask Anthony about how he felt about his tumultuous final season with the Knicks. “We’re just moving on with the guys we have,” he said, adding that the Knicks’ primary goal is improvement, whether small or significant.
Wednesday night
BUCKS 108, CELTICS 100: In Boston, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, and Milwaukee spoiled the homecoming of a Celtics team coming off an emotional season opener.
One night after a gruesome broken ankle just six minutes into the season cost Boston top free agent Gordon Hayward — perhaps for the entire season — the Celtics fell to 0-2 by giving up an 11-1 run that left Milwaukee with a 97-90 lead with under 3 minutes to play. HAWKS 117, MAVERICKS 111: In Dallas, Dennis Schroder scored 28 points in his first game as the front man for Atlanta and the rebuilding Hawks spoiled rookie Dennis Smith Jr.’s solid Dallas debut. Smith scored his first NBA points on an alley-oop dunk to open the Dallas scoring and finished with 16 points and a game-high 10 assists.
JAZZ 106, NUGGETS 96: In Salt Lake City, Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Utah beat Denver.
The new-look Jazz — without Gordon Hayward and George Hill — trailed most of the night before Alec Burks took over with a spectacular fourth quarter. The athletic seventhyear wing has missed most of the last three seasons due to a litany of injuries, but showed no lingering effects. ROCKETS 105, KINGS 100: In Sacramento, Calif., James Harden had 27 points and nine assists as Houston made it a perfect two-game road trip to start the season despite playing this one without Chris Paul (knee). The Rockets won at Golden State on Tuesday night. TRAIL BLAZERS 124, SUNS 76: In Phoenix, Damian Lillard scored 27 points as Portland opened the season by handing Phoenix the most one-sided loss in the franchise’s 49-year history. PISTONS 102, HORNETS 90: In Detroit, Tobias Harris scored 17 of his 27 points in the first quarter as the Pistons returned downtown. WIZARDS 120, 76ERS 115: In Washington, John Wall scored 28 points, Bradley Beal rebounded from a rough start to add 25 and Washington beat Philadelphia to spoil the NBA debuts of top picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. PACERS 140, NETS 131: In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo scored 22 points in his Indiana debut and Darren Collison added 21 points and 11 assists in his return to Indianapolis. MAGIC 116, HEAT 109: In Orlando, Fla., Evan Fournier scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Orlando held off Miami. GRIZZLIES 103, PELICANS 91: In Memphis, Tenn., Mike Conley scored 27 points, rookie Dillon Brooks added 19 and the Grizzlies beat New Orleans. SPURS 107, TIMBERWOLVES 99: In San Antonio, Texas, LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and San Antonio held on to beat Minnesota.