Back to second place in the Eastern Conference! Towns scored 39 points and 11 rebounds, Shamet scored 36 points off the bench, and Powell scored 38 points.

In the NBA Cup group stage, the Knicks defeated the Heat 140-132 at home, avoiding a losing streak and giving the Heat two consecutive losses. Both teams' group stage records became 1 win and 1 loss. The Knicks' record came to 8 wins and 4 losses, returning to second place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat's record became 7 wins and 6 losses, temporarily falling to tenth in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson and Anunoby were absent due to injuries today. Towns showed his strength, playing 38 minutes, making 13 of 26 shots, 6 of 14 three-pointers, 7 of 9 free throws, scoring 39 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, with a game-high plus-minus of +13. It is worth mentioning that Towns was only one point away from scoring 40+ points for the first time in the season today. He played 20 minutes in the first half and made 11 of 16 shots, 6 of 10 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He had already scored 31 points, but in the end he still missed 40+ points.

Shamet also ushered in a big explosion and became a surprise player on the bench. He was very hot. He played 36 minutes as a substitute and made 12 of 19 shots, 6 of 12 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws. He scored a season-high 36 points and set a scoring record for substitute players this season. In addition, Shamet is the player with the most points in a single game off the bench in Knicks history since J.R. Smith in 2013.

Hart was also very comprehensive today. He played 34 minutes and made 5 of 8 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 1 of 2 free throws. He scored a triple-double of 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal. He became the first substitute player to get a triple-double this season. This was the 16th triple-double in his career.

Clarkson was also very impressive. He came off the bench for 33 minutes, made 6 of 13 shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers, 9 of 11 free throws, and scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Bridges didn't have a good touch, but he was very comprehensive. He started for 42 minutes, made only 6 of 21 shots, 3 of 12 three-pointers, and scored 15 points, 5 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 blocks.

For the Heat, Adebayor and Hiero also continue to be absent. Powell was full of firepower and competed with Towns. He played 33 minutes and made 12 of 22 shots, 8 of 15 three-pointers, 6 of 7 free throws, and scored a team-high 38 points and 5 rebounds. Powell made 5 of 7 in the final quarter, 3 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 15 points in a single quarter. The 38 points in the game also set a career high for the Heat in a single game. This is also the second time Powell has scored 30+ in the past three games.

Hucks played very comprehensively. He played 34 minutes as a substitute, making 9 of 20 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 4 of 8 free throws, and scored 23 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Wiggins performed poorly. He played 36 minutes and made 6 of 18 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. His plus-minus value was -15, the lowest in the game. Ware played 35 minutes, made 5 of 8 shots, 3 of 4 three-pointers, and had a double-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.