Karl-Anthony Towns was disappointed when the Knicks cut off extension talks prior to the season. The Knicks big man hasn’t let it affect his play, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 57.3 percent from the field.

“I came into the season wanting to defend the championship at all costs,” he said. “Like I said before, the city hasn’t seen that trophy here in New York for 53 years, and all of us in this locker room, especially myself, don’t intend for it to leave. Being the No. 1 pick, [reaching] the Finals and getting your title, and having to go out there and try to figure out how to do it again, that’s enough motivation for me.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• LeBron James had a rough night in his return to Cleveland, as he finished with eight points on 3-for-12 shooting and six turnovers in the Sixers’ 119-96 loss to the Cavaliers, Kris Rhim of ESPN relays. James turned down a chance for a third stint with the Cavs to play for the Sixers this season. “Yeah, I definitely did not feel in a good rhythm offensively,” James said. “We didn’t look like much offensively. … Too many turnovers on my behalf, and I didn’t feel in a rhythm.”
• Joel Embiid had an even worse night at the offensive end, missing all nine of his field-goal attempts, including two 3-point tries. Embiid hasn’t made a 3 since the second game of the season and is 3-for-28 from deep this season. “I believe in myself but when you’re in these moments and nothing is going in … it’s hard not to look at yourself and be down,” he said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).
• Second-year big man Danny Wolf and guard Terance Mann haven’t received much playing time with the Nets this season but that changed in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Wolf finished with 12 points, five boards and three assists for a plus-17 in 18:36, while Mann was a plus-11 in 15:47. Both played the entire fourth quarter. “I ain’t gonna lie, the difference tonight was T-Mann and Danny Wolf, I would say. They haven’t been in the rotation much, came in ready to play,” forward Michael Porter Jr. said. Mann is in the second year of a three-year, $47MM contract.
• With Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley sidelined by injuries, the Raptors got a huge outing from Alijah Martin against Milwaukee. The second-year guard had a career-high 27 points, surpassing his total points on the season, on 9-of-11 shooting and 6-of-7 on 3-point attempts. Jamal Shead also had a big night with 10 points and a career-high 16 assists. “Tonight was awesome because you know when guys are ready for their moment, they pop, and (Martin) popped tonight,” Shead said, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “He’s been there waiting, waiting and it was cool to see him get his shine.” Martin signed a two-year, $4.8MM contract this summer after playing on a two-way deal as a rookie.