Return to second place in the Eastern Conference! Towns scored 39 points and 11 rebounds, Shamet scored 36 points as a substitute, and Hart had a triple-double as a substitute.

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.