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Anthony, Knicks welcome Bobcats to MSG

Jan 9, 2012 - 3:42 PM (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony is dealing with a balky back, but that didn't stop the New York Knicks star from helping his team to victory.

Anthony is listed as probable for tonight's game versus the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden and recorded 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds in Saturday's 103-80 blowout of the Detroit Pistons. Anthony finished 5-of-14 from the floor and was pleased with the effort.

"We came out from the beginning and jumped on them. Everybody got going and we covered down defensively," said Anthony, who wasn't needed in the fourth quarter after New York built a 29-point advantage. "That picked up our defense, too. Tonight, we put four quarters together."

Amare Stoudemire led all scorers with 22 points and Mike Bibby contributed 16 points off the bench for New York, which has won back-to-back games for the first time in 2011-12 and since a seven-game burst from March 28-April 10 of last season. Tyson Chandler had 10 points and nine rebounds against Detroit.

The Knicks will play two straight and six of their next eight games in front of their home crowd and will try to stop a two-game slide at MSG, where they are 1-2 this season.

Charlotte has dropped two in a row and six of seven games since winning its season opener versus Milwaukee, and sustained a 99-77 setback at Indiana on Saturday. D.J. Augustin had 20 points, a season-high seven rebounds and four assists, while Gerald Henderson chipped in 14 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for Charlotte, which shot 21.7 percent (10-of-46) in the second half.

"We did not play tough. They banged us up and we didn't respond," Bobcats coach Paul Silas said.

Byron Mullens scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in 21 minutes for his first career-double-double. The Bobcats are only 1-3 as the visitor this season. Augustin has scored in double figures in each of his last four games, including three games of 20 points or more. Mullens has scored in double figures in five of his last six games and is averaging 12.5 points during the stretch.

Charlotte forward Corey Maggette missed his second straight game with a left hamstring strain and is expected to miss two to four weeks. Maggette had 12 points in a 118-100 victory at New York on Jan. 4 this season for the Bobcats, who were led by Boris Diaw's 27 points. Henderson had 24 points in the win and Augustin posted 14 and 10 assists for the Bobcats, who have won two straight and six of the last 10 meetings with the Knicks.

The Bobcats, though, have lost six of the previous eight meetings at MSG.