NBA Sunday: Depleted Heat beat Spurs

• SB Nation’s Q&A with Al Horford

• The Suns are terrible at pretending not to tank

Heat 88, Spurs 86

Knicks 108, Celtics 89

New York got off to a hot start, grabbing a 28-23 lead after the first quarter. That lead ballooned to 17 at the break, as the Knicks exploded for 37 points in the second quarter. The rest of the game was a mere formality from that point on.

• SB Nation’s Q&A with Al Horford

Irving had 31 points and six assists in 29 minutes after missing eight games with a shoulder injury. The star point guard started slow, but quickly found his rhythm, scoring 15 points in the second quarter to lead the Cavs to a 49-48 lead at the half.

But the second half was all New Orleans, as they outscored Cleveland 64-43 to win going away. The Hornets were especially good in the third quarter, with Vasquez pouring in 16 of the team’s season-high 36 points in the quarter to take an 11-point lead into the final frame.

• SB Nation’s Q&A with Al Horford

• The Suns are terrible at pretending not to tank

San Antonio wasted a golden opportunity to get within one game of Miami in the race for home-court advantage. Instead, the Heat now hold a commanding three-game lead for home-court.

• SB Nation’s Q&A with Al Horford

Irving will miss Monday’s game because of the Cavaliers’ “medical protocol.”

Irving’s season has been plagued with injuries dating back to the summer where he broke his hand. He also broke his jaw, and had been dealing with knee injuries through the latter half of the season. The Cavaliers had considered shutting Irving down for the season if his knee continued to bother him.

The red-hot Knicks are chasing down Indiana for the second spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, and an injury-plagued Boston team appears likely locked into seventh.

Growth from role players during strings of injuries is a shared theme for the rivals.

This year, both teams find themselves at the summit because each plays basketball as selflessly as can be in the current NBA.

The Spurs enter Sunday as the league’s fourth-highest scoring team behind their excellent shot distribution and spread attack that’s not single-handedly predicated on the aging Duncan or the penetration of Parker. San Antonio ranks No. 1 in the NBA in assists per game.

Here are the rest of Sunday’s games (all times ET):

• SB Nation’s Q&A with Al Horford