After starting the season 8-6, the Knicks have lost eight of their last 10 games and have become one of two Eastern Conference teams with a losing record at home and on the road. The Kings improved to 8-8 in games with DeMarcus Cousins. Thaddeus Young profited off a revenge game against the Sixers, and I muted my television for the second TNT game because Charles Barkley was on the broadcast team.

HOSPITAL WARD

I didn't learn of any in-game injuries.

M.I.A.

• Atlanta
  • Tiago Splitter (rest)
  • Mike Scott (knee)
• Brooklyn
  • Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (ankle)
• Chicago
  • Mike Dunleavy (back)
• New York
  • Kevin Seraphin (DNP-CD)
•  Philadelphia
  • Kendall Marshall (knee)
  • Carl Landry (wrist)
  • JaKarr Sampson (DNP-CD)
• Sacramento
  • Willie Cauley-Stein (finger)

ROTATION NOTES

Tony Wroten, in his third game this season, replaced T.J. McConnell, and Jahlil Okafor replaced Jerami Grant, not Nerlens Noel, in the starting lineup.

Wroten was capped at 17 minutes, and he won't play in Friday's game. Kendall Marshall (knee) is expected to make his debut on Friday, sullying the point guard waters in Philadelphia - not in a bad way. I suspect Marshall will eventually become the outright starter. Both he and Wroten are a year removed from tearing their ACLs. They'll gradually integrate into the rotation, taking nights off and playing limited minutes until they're fully cleared.

McConnell scored a season-high 17 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and nabbed three steals in 24 minutes. His situation is similar to General Custer's Last Stand in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Spoiler alert: Custer died. In fact, once Marshall and Wroten leap McConnell in the rotation, the brass may release McConnell or send him on a D-League assignment to open up room for a veteran presence. The outlook is grim for McConnell. The Sixers play three matches in the next four days, serving as last call on McConnell.

Okafor ripped off 22 points (7-15 FG, 8-8 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 31 minutes. Noel was limited to 21 minutes, but he did procure four steals. As long as Okafor is the primary center, Noel's knee soreness hampers his mobility, and Noel continues to take shots outside the restricted area, Noel is stuck in fantasy purgatory. Noel's field goal percentage increases five points when Okafor sits, much like the rest of his stats.

FANTASY LINE OF THE NIGHT

Kevin Durant: 25 points (8-14 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, five turnovers, 37 minutes

Trade for him if you can. There's no weakness in his fantasy game.

ROOKIE OF THE NIGHT

Kristaps Porzingis: 13 points (4-11 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists, two steals, 34 minutes

Porzingis earns this meaningless award instead of Jahlil Okafor, T.J. McConnell, or Richaun Holmes. Coach Fisher continues to play him too many minutes, but he's much better than anything you'll find off the bench. Porzingis plays heavy center minutes, limiting Robin Lopez to 19.5 minutes per game over the last eight contests.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH

Russell Westbrook: 23 points (8-17 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 10 assists, six rebounds, three steals, 38 minutes

Westbrook matched a season-low two turnovers. Dare we say he's turned over a new leaf? Nope. He's still averaging a league-high 4.9 turnovers per game. When neglecting turnovers, Westbrook jumps from fifth overall in nine-category ranks to third in eight-category leagues.

Jimmy Butler: 14 points (4-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 6-8 FT), eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks, 37 minutes

Butler is second in the league at 37.2 minutes per game. He recorded a steal for the 28th straight game, the longest active streak. Even though he's playing about two minutes less per game this season compared to last, the Bulls' pace is up from 95.2 last year to 100.6 when Butler is on the court this season. Concurrently, his usage rate increased from 21 percent to 23 percent, and he's attempting one more shot per game. In essence, he's replicating last season's stats. However, he's been dealing with a sore right heel since the end of November. It's had negligible impact on his statistical output, and he's played at least 36 minutes in 12 straight games. Butler has seen a seven-percent reduction in his three-point percentage over the past nine games, reminiscent of two seasons ago when Butler played through turf toe and shot poorly from the field because of it.

Rajon Rondo: 16 points (7-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 12 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, 40 minutes

Rondo's stats this season are similar to his 22 games with the Celtics last season. The percentages are much better this year, vaulting his scoring, but the numbers are nearly identical if you disregard his 46 games with the Mavericks. Rondo is two full years removed from a torn ACL, the requisite time necessary to fully recovery from surgery. He's pilfering assists from DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, both of whom have seen a decline in that category when sharing the court with Rondo.

BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS AND ODDITIES

Andrea Bargnani scored 13 of his season-high 23 points (8-15 FG, 7-9 FT) in the fourth quarter. His extended presence was required due to Brook Lopez's foul woes. Furthermore, Coach Hollins preferred Bargnani over Lopez in the final five minutes of a close game, but the opposition, the Sixers, made it a low-stakes affair. Bargnani grabbed six rebounds and had his shot blocked four times. He was standard-league relevant after the All-Star break last season for the Knicks in 29 minutes per game, but last night was a case of Lopez playing 19 minutes. Bargnani is a change-of-pace play for Hollins, but he's not going to usurp Lopez's role.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored eight of his 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt) in the first quarter and attempted one shot the rest of the game. He played 33 minutes, but fantasy relevance depends on his ability to develop a hot streak. Bogdanovic did win the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month last April by shooting 49 percent from downtown in 28 minutes a night. However, his rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks were all subpar. He's not going to grab many rebounds playing next to Thaddeus Young, and his three assists last night matched his sum over the previous 11 games. Bogdanovic is a streamer, but he's not at the top of that list.

Nik Stauskas missed all seven three-point attempts. He shooting 29 percent from downtown. It's time to revoke his nickname. If Vivek Ranadive didn't make an executive decision to select him eighth overall, Stauskas likely falls into the late lottery, reducing his relevance and forcing analysts to focus on him rather than blaming his environment.

Blake Griffin was ejected midway through the third quarter for a hard foul on Taj Gibson. Josh Smith replaced Griffin. It was the second time Griffin was ejected this season. In 25 minutes, Griffin scored a team-high 18 points (7-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), grabbed 11 rebounds, blocks two shots, and handed out two assists. No one excelled in Griffin's absence, and the Clippers lost 83-80 the second night of a back-to-back. On a negative note, Griffin leads the NBA with six technical fouls, 10 shy of an automatic one-game suspension.

Taj Gibson played 29 minutes as the starting power forward. Joakim Noah was the first big off the bench for the second straight game, replacing Gibson and finishing the game with two points (1-5 FG), a team-high 13 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal in 20 minutes. Nikola Mirotic played a team-low 14 minutes and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. It's a replay of last season. Mirotic is a terrible shooter who struggles defensively. Coach Hoiberg planned to replace him in the starting lineup last month but stayed the course when Noah's knee acted up in pregame warmups. Mirotic's usage rate has declined as a reserve, and he's entered the droppable zone. His numbers mirror Omri Casspi's stats this season. Until the Bulls' frontcourt works itself out via injury or trade, Mirotic needs to be benched or dropped. He doesn't mesh well with Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, nor does he get enough minutes off the bench to be relevant.

Serge Ibaka attempted two shots in the paint and missed them both. He still scored a season-high 23 points (9-14 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked two shots, and collected a steal in 36 minutes. It's his highest minute total in over a month. A healthy Ibaka will block a ton of shots. However, and this isn't coincidence, Ibaka's block rate has decreased each of the last three seasons. Blocks are a category that rapidly declines throughout the first few years of a player's career. He's also become less efficient while attempting fewer three-pointers, and it's fair to wonder if the multiple lower leg injuries have sapped him of his athleticism.

Kent Bazemore continued his assault on the stat sheet. He accumulated 18 of his team-high 22 points (7-12 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT) in the first half and added two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 28 minutes. Bazemore made his first seven shots and miss his final five. All five Hawks starters played more than 32 minutes, and Bazemore's demotion hasn't vandalized his fantasy usefulness. In five fewer minutes as a reserve, Bazemore is attempting more shots per game and reduced his assists by half. Teams continually yield open three-pointers to Bazemore because they don't respect his shot. Eventually, an updated scouting report will circulate the league, rendering Bazemore subdued. Until such time, I must backtrack and admit Bazemore is a hold under the circumstances.

The Knicks were introduced to a national television audience. The audience was treated to common Knick staples:

• Lance Thomas lead the bench with 10 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.
• Robin Lopez played less than 20 minutes and sat the fourth quarter for the ninth time this year.
• Arron Afflalo missed all six three-pointers and didn't record a steal or block.
• Jose Calderon was neither good nor bad. A mediocre Calderon is better than last year's injured version.
• Kristaps Porzingis blocked three shots and played 34 minutes.
• Sasha Vujacic attempted eight shots in 18 minutes and inexplicably recorded a team-high 8 plus-minus.
• Coach Fisher misappropriated minutes to the reserves because he lacks rotational integrity.
• The Knicks lost after Carmelo Anthony missed the game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer.

NIGHTLY LEADERS

Points

1. DeMarcus Cousins, C, SAC: 27 points
2. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 25 points
3. Pau Gasol, C, CHI: 24 points

Rebounds

1. Carmelo Anthony, F, NYK: 14 rebounds
2. DeAndre Jordan, C, LAC: 14 rebounds
3. Joakim Noah, F, CHI: 13 rebounds

Assists

1. Rajon Rondo, G, SAC: 12 assists
2. Kevin Durant, F, OKC: 10 assists
3. Russell Westbrook, G, OKC: 10 assists

Steals

1. Thabo Sefolosha, F, ATL: 4 steals
2. Nerlens Noel, F, PHI: 4 steals
3. Three players tied with three steals

Blocks

1. Kristaps Porzingis, F, NYK: 3 blocks
2. Rudy Gay, F, SAC: 3 blocks
3. Nine players with two blocks

Three-Pointers

1. Kent Bazemore, F, ATL: 4-7 3Pt
2. Kyle Korver, G, ATL: 4-7 3Pt
3. Four players tied with three three-pointers

Minutes

1. Rajon Rondo, G, SAC: 40 minutes
2. Omri Casspi, F, SAC: 40 minutes
3. Rudy Gay, F, SAC: 40 minutes