New York (AFP)

New York got the better of Orlando (91-84) on Monday in the NBA season game that opened Martin Luther King Day, a public holiday in the United States marking the anniversary of the birth of the black American reverend.

Since its establishment in 1986, set for the third Monday in January - MLK was born on January 15 - the North American Basketball League has been a major player in this day of commemoration.

Clubs, players, coaches traditionally carry out actions of all kinds and participate in the national dialogue on the cause of racial equality, while offering shows on the parquet floors.

This was hardly seen on that of Madison Square Garden, where only the victory was good for the Knicks (6th in the East) who were able to resist the return of the Magic in the 4th quarter, after having counted 12 lengths of advance to its start.

Julius Randle was again the strong man of NY, scoring 7 of his 21 points (17 rebounds) in the last quarter, well helped by RJ Barrett (22 pts, 10 rebounds).

But the overall shooting skills were starved (35.6% including 18.5% at long distance).

The victory was therefore due to an even more mediocre performance from Orlando, where only Nikola Vucevic survived (24 pts, 14 rebounds).

In the absence of Evan Fournier (back), the Magic are five consecutive losses.

In Atlanta, city of birth of Martin Luther King, the Hawks donned for the occasion a jersey flocked with his initials - which they offered a copy to Pope Francis - during their victory over Minnesota (108-97), to which greatly contributed Trae Young (20 pts, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals).

San Antonio for its part won in Portland (125-104).

His great collective mastery (4 players between 20 and 22 points) got the better of the solo work of Damian Lillard (35 pts).

And the Spurs, pleasant surprise at the start of the season, to join the Blazers in 5th position in the West.

Six other matches are on the program for this "MLK Day", including two expected posters: Brooklyn-Milwaukee, which sees the duo Kevin Durant / James Harden receive the double MVP in title Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LA Lakers-Golden State, opposing LeBron James to Stephen Curry.

© 2021 AFP