New York Knicks defeat Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden for first time since 2009

One of the worst teams in the NBA have toppled one of the league’s genuine contenders in scenes not seen in over a decade.

James Harden top scored once again, but it wasn’t enough for the Houston Rockets, who suffered their first loss at Madison Square Garden since 2009.

The New York Knicks defied the odds to upset the Houston Rockets in a thriller at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

A late fourth quarter resurgence wasn’t enough for the visitors, losing the nailbiter 125-123.

Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook almost sent the game to overtime with a pull-up jumper, but his unsuccessful field goal on the buzzer struck the rim twice, handing the hosts a narrow win.

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NBA phenom James Harden topscored with 35 points and dished out eight assists during his side’s first loss at Madison Square Garden since 2009, ending a nine-game streak. Houston coach Mike D’Antoni was on the other sideline the last time this occurred.

Knicks beat the Rockets at MSG for the first time in 11 years https://t.co/eSlZxZDOyx

— Ben Siegel (@benyc) March 3, 2020

Losing to the #Knicks is the most Rocket-iey thing ever.
Absurd.#Rockets

— Robert Flores (@RoFlo) March 3, 2020

Rookie guard RJ Barrett tied his season high with 27 points as the Knicks snapped Houston’s six-game winning streak, seven players registered double figures.

Julius Randle added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who held on after building a 21-point lead. The Rockets were always chasing the game after falling behind in the first quarter.

D’Antoni said his team had not been mentally prepared for the game following Sunday’s overtime win over Boston.

“We won a big game against Boston and came here and we weren’t ready to play for the first 20 minutes. They did well, played a good game, but our first three quarters were lackadaisical,” D’Antoni said.

“When you don’t have the appropriate fear or force, stuff happens, and they started hitting shots. Give them credit, they played well.”

James Harden’s scoring exploits couldn’t lift the Rockets.

The victory lifts the Knicks to 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 19 wins and 42 defeats.

The Rockets fell to 39-21 in the Western Conference, where they remain in fourth spot.

HEAT TOPPLE BUCKS … AGAIN

For the second time this season, Miami Heat have defeated championship favourites Milwaukee Bucks, claiming a comfortable 105-89 home victory on Tuesday.

The Heat are the only team to trump the Bucks on multiple occasions in the 2019/20 season. Meanwhile, the Bucks have failed to score 100 points in two consecutive games, the first time they’ve done so since March 2018.

The Bucks were restricted to a season-low 89 points, centre Brook Lopez topscoring with 21 points.

The Bucks entered the night with the best road record in NBA history.

The Heat now have wins against the Bucks in both Miami and Milwaukee.

Two pretty amazing wins spread months apart against a historic juggernaut.

— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) March 3, 2020

First time this season the Bucks lose to the same team twice...they fall to Miami at home in Oct && on the road tonight. We’ve seen this before, Miami shot lights out and the Bucks didn’t.

Let’s keep perspective here 52-9..

— Zora Stephenson (@ZoraStephenson) March 3, 2020

Giannis Antetokounmpo — who scored a season-low 13 points and managed 15 rebounds on Tuesday — was not concerned by the defeat.

“You win some games, you lose some games,” Antetokounmpo said.

“We’re not going to go 82-0.”

Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler each scored 18 points, while Bam Adebayo had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat. They improved to 39-22 and matched their win total from last season with 19 games remaining.

The most noticeable difference was from the 3-point line — Miami was 18 for 37, Milwaukee was 7 for 34.

Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo celebrates after scoring

Next, the Heat host the Orlando Magic on Thursday, while the Bucks face the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum.

With wires

Originally published as New York Knicks defeat Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden for first time since 2009