NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony was really sharp when he was in, and the New York Knicks were even better after he went out. Paul Molitor Blue Jays Jersey . Good enough to be mistaken for one of the NBAs best. "I thought we were playing against the Spurs," Denver guard Ty Lawson said. "They know they pass to one side, kick, kick, and it opens 3s. It was just a tough night for us." Anthony scored 31 points in three quarters, then watched from the bench as the Knicks ran away from his old team in the fourth for a 117-90 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night. J.R. Smith added 10 of his 13 points in the fourth. He also threw the pass of the game during the decisive spurt when he went behind the back to Jeremy Tyler, who scored while being fouled. Amare Stoudemire finished with 17 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Tyler had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks shot 56.5 per cent from the field, one of their best performances of the season. "Everybody played their part tonight," Anthony said. "It was a great team win and we want to build off that." The Knicks were 13 of 20 for 34 points in the final quarter and shot 64 per cent while scoring 67 points in the second half. It was a surprisingly easy victory during a difficult season for the Knicks, who figured they would be competing for championships by now when they paid a heavy price to acquire Anthony from the Nuggets three years ago this month. Instead, they are only 20-30, currently outside the playoff picture and giving Denver hope that the first-round pick the Knicks still owe them this summer from that Anthony deal could be in the lottery. Lawson scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who had their two-game winning streak stopped and fell back to .500 at 24-24. They committed 24 turnovers that led to 27 points. The Knicks latest slump had sparked renewed reports that coach Mike Woodsons job could be in jeopardy, and he spent most of his pregame news conference repeating his confidence in himself and his team. He still believes the Knicks can be a playoff team, a thought only imaginable because they reside in the Eastern Conference. But they showed Friday how effective they can be when they get balanced scoring beyond Anthony, which has happened infrequently this season, and by the end of the night Woodson was talking about how his Knicks would be difficult for powerful Oklahoma City to handle on Sunday. Then again, they lost to the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks this week, so nothing is certain. "You know what, you cant change the past," centre Tyson Chandler said when asked if he was frustrated that the Knicks couldnt play like this more often. "So I would say more so that it gives us the opportunity to rally, because we see what its going take for us to win. Weve just got to put more nights like this together." Leading by seven in the third quarter, New York began to open a gap when Anthony made a jumper, Chandler scored and Anthony nailed a 3-pointer to make it 62-48 with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the period. Tim Hardaway Jr. made a 3-pointer and Anthony converted a three-point play for a quick six points in the final minute as the lead grew to 83-66. Smith had three straight baskets in the fourth, the latter two from behind the arc, to push the lead to 102-77. The Knicks helped hand the Nuggets a 26-20 lead after one, committing eight turnovers that led to 14 points. But the much-maligned Raymond Felton scored all of his nine points in the second, and New York scored the final nine points of the period for a 50-44 halftime lead. "I think at the end of the second quarter, when it was 44-44, we got five turnovers in a row and couldnt get a shot up and that kind of pushed their lead," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried said. "They got the lead and after that I guess it was curtains." Felton also had eight assists. NOTES: The Knicks visit to Oklahoma City for a nationally televised matchup features Kevin Durant and Anthony, the NBAs top scorers. Anthony missed the Thunders Christmas Day rout of the Knicks with a sprained ankle. ... The Knicks shot a season-high 57.1 per cent against Brooklyn on Dec. 5. officialmlbclub.com/Atlanta-Braves-Babe-Ruth-Jersey.html . 8 Ben Morgan for the injured Billy Vunipola was the only change in the England run-on side for the Six Nations showdown with Wales at Twickenham on Sunday. officialmlbclub.com/Toronto-Blue-Jays-Jose-Bautista-Jersey.html . With the game in hand, the Miami Heat could worry about individual stats. Wade and James had handsome numbers in Mondays 102-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons. DURHAM, N.C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. The rematch of one of college basketballs best games of the season ended with Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim ejected after he charged onto the court to argue a block/charge call. Rodney Hood scored 13 points and drew that game-changing charging call, which helped No. 5 Duke beat No. 1 Syracuse 66-60 on Saturday night. "I just thought that was the worst call of the year, thats all," Boeheim said. "I hated to see the game decided on that call." Freshman Jabari Parker had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils (22-6, 11-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). Jerami Grant had 17 points and C.J. Fair, the player who was called for the charge, finished with 13 for the Orange (25-2, 12-2). The first meeting between these teams was an overtime game considered an instant classic and won by Syracuse. The rematch was just as close but it will be remembered more for Boeheims exit with about 10 seconds to play. "Both teams were worthy of winning this game, and both teams were worthy of winning up there," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "So going 1-1 was probably the way it should be." Syracuse had the ball down 60-58 when Fair drove for an apparent tying layup. But official Tony Greene whistled Fair for charging -- and Boeheim shot onto the court to argue. Greene slapped him with two technical fouls and ejected him. "People will remember this one for 30 years because the old coach went out there and got a little excited," Boeheim said. "I think the fans will remember Jim Boeheim down here. Two great games." Quinn Cook iced it by hitting three free throws with 10.4 seconds left to make it 63-58. That helped the Blue Devils bounce back from a loss to hated rival North Carolina less than 48 hours earlier. It meant they avoided their first regular-season losing streak since 2009 and it extended their winning streak at Cameron Indoor Stadium to 31 games. "Thats the way its going to be in the ACC tournament and then the NCAA," Parker said. "Weve got to play back-to-back competitive games, but I think were going to get used to it." Meanwhile, the Orange -- whose 25-0 start was spoiled three nights earlier by an overtime loss at home to sub-.500 Boston College -- are the first top-ranked team to lose twice in a week since Texas in 2010. "I dont think well probably play anymore," Boeheim said, his words laced with sarcasm. "I think well just give up." It was Dukes ninth win over a No. 1-ranked team and first since 1997. Star freshman Tyler Ennis of Brampton, Ont., finished with nine points on 2-of-13 shooting and he and fellow starting guard Trevor Cooney combined to miss all five of theiir 3-point attempts for the Orange.http://www.officialmlbclub.com/Atlanta-Braves-Freddie-Freeman-Jersey.html. . Three times in the final 90 seconds, they had the ball down by three or fewer points -- but all anyone will remember is that drive by Fair. He blew past Tyler Thornton along the left baseline and -- as Hood slid over to cut him off -- he flipped up a shot that banked in. Greene blew his whistle and waved it off to call Fair for charging. "Regardless of whether they called a block or a charge, I was going to be there and help Tyler out," Hood said. "I honestly didnt know (what the call would be). ... I thought I was there the whole time, but you never know." That brought an incensed Boeheim off the bench and well onto the court to argue. Once he was tossed, the game was effectively over. "I think maybe (if) we didnt get the techs, we probably still had a chance to win," Fair said. This one always seemed destined for a tight finish, even after Duke appeared to take control down the stretch. The Blue Devils scored on six consecutive possessions, keyed by Cooks 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 53-47 with just under 7 minutes left. Three trips later, Parker soared to dunk the rebound of Hoods missed 3 -- which restored the Blue Devils six-point lead and sent the Cameron Crazies into earsplitting delirium. But Ennis followed with a layup and Grant hit a jumper in transition, and things stayed tight until those technical fouls. The game again matched the two winningest mens coaches in Division I history in Hall of Famers Krzyzewski and Boeheim -- who, by the end of the night, combined for 1,924 victories. Round 1 went to Boeheim earlier this month in a game for the ages, with the Orange claiming a 91-89 victory in overtime after Dukes Rasheed Sulaimon hit a buzzer-beating, tying 3 at the end of regulation before 35,446 fans at the Carrier Dome. There were about one-quarter of that many at 9,314-seat Cameron -- but the 74-year-old building rocked all night with a ferocity usually reserved for the annual visit from North Carolina. "Another great game. Different from the first one because it seemed like both teams were scoring easy up in Syracuse, and today it was really difficult to score," Krzyzewski said. "I dont know how either team could play any harder." And from the opening tip, this one felt like a continuation of that OT thriller -- with players from both sides turning in highlight-reel plays, from Marshall Plumlees vicious dunk of a missed 3 by Sulaimon, to Ennis emphatic block of a layup by Cook. Syracuse maxed out its lead at nine on a 3-pointer by Duke transfer Michael Gbinije midway through the first half. The Blue Devils rallied to tie it at 26 at the break on Sulaimons fast-break layup with about a minute left, and it stayed tense the rest of the way. ' ' '
