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Anthony leads Knicks over Nets

Apr 19, 2012 - 7:22 AM Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points and Tyson Chandler added 18 points and 10 rebounds, as the Knicks inched closer to a postseason berth with an easy 104-95 win over the lowly Nets.

The Knicks avoided a letdown a day after an emotional 118-110 victory over the Celtics, leading wire-to-wire on Wednesday to hold steady as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. They currently own a 3 1/2-game lead over ninth-place Milwaukee with four games remaining.

J.R. Smith chipped in 15 points off New York's bench, contributing three of the club's 13 three-pointers.

"These are fun times for me," Anthony said of New York's push towards the postseason. "I've been in the league nine years now and most of my career in Denver we had chances and opportunities like this to come down the stretch and win basketball games."

Gerald Wallace, who missed the previous four games with a sore hamstring, paced the Nets with 21 points, while Sundiata Gaines netted 18 points in their third straight loss.

Anthony, fresh off his second career triple-double on Tuesday, stayed hot with 21 points in the first quarter on 8-of-10 shooting, which included a 4-for-4 effort from long range.

The Knicks led by 16 after putting up a season-high 38 first-quarter points and owned a 64-47 advantage at halftime.

"He (Anthony) got them off to a great start but when Anthony went out the game I thought our second unit, some of our subs did a really good job against their bench and then we got back into the game," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said.

They went cold in the third and did not make a field goal over the first four- plus minutes. The Nets scored 10 straight points during the drought and cut their deficit to 78-71 heading to the fourth.

The Prudential Center crowd, comprised mostly of Knicks fans, saw New York keep the hosts at bay in the fourth. A Wallace three-point play pulled New Jersey within 86-78 early on, but the Knicks scored 12 of the next 17 points to pull away for good.

Game Notes

Anthony came in averaging a league-high 32.1 points per game in April...The Knicks were without starting point guard Baron Davis because a stomach virus. Mike Bibby had eight points and eight assists in Davis' absence...Nets point guard Deron Williams sat out due to a sore right calf.