• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Anthony guides Knicks in drubbing of Nuggets

Feb 8, 2014 - 4:43 AM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Carmelo Anthony got the New York Knicks back on track with a 31-point effort that carried his team to a 117-90 rout of the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.

Five other New York players scored in double figures, and the Knicks erupted for 67 second-half points to break open a close contest and halt a three-game skid.

New York also got plenty of help from its bench, with Amar'e Stoudemire racking up 17 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes, Jeremy Tyler posting 12 points and 11 rebounds and sixth man J.R. Smith contributing 13 points.

The Knicks' reserves totaled 60 points overall, compared to just 21 from Denver's subs.

"It was a total team effort today," Anthony said. "Everybody played their part, offensively and defensively."

Ty Lawson totaled 24 points and seven assists in the loss, which snapped the Nuggets' two-game win streak, while former Knick Wilson Chandler tallied 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Knicks actually trailed by double digits late in the first quarter after Denver put together a 12-0 run to take a 24-14 lead. New York slowly chipped away at the deficit, however, before closing out the opening half on a pivotal 13-2 surge.

Anthony led the charge by netting seven points, the last three coming on a long-range jumper that snapped a 44-44 tie with 1:35 left. A Raymond Felton layup followed by 1-of-2 free throws from Smith enabled the Knicks to take a six-point advantage into the break.

New York then hit five of its initial six shots during a 12-4 burst to begin the second half, with Anthony capping the sequence with a trey that put the hosts ahead 62-48 under five minutes into the period.

"They got the lead and after that it was curtains," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried remarked.

The Knicks stayed in front by double digits the rest of the way, taking an 83-68 lead into the fourth quarter and putting the game out of reach behind eight straight points from Smith midway through the final session. His back- to-back 3-pointers to end the run staked New York to a commanding 102-77 cushion with seven minutes to go.

Game Notes

The Knicks have now won each of their last five games when eclipsing the 100- point mark, having recorded 98 or less all throughout their recent three-game slide ... Denver lost for the fourth time in its last five visits to MSG ... The teams combined for 48 turnovers (24 each) that were converted into 52 points ... New York went 11-of-28 from 3-point range, led by Anthony's 4-of-9 showing from that distance.