SALT LAKE CITY -- Momentum on defence is a powerful thing. Jason Hatcher Jersey . Force an opponent into a dry spell and a team can seize an opportunity to win big games. Thats the message the New York Knicks have been receiving in the locker room. Judging by what they did to the Utah Jazz, it appears they are getting the message. Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and the Knicks pulled away for a 92-83 victory on Monday night that kept them one game back of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Tyson Chandler added 15 points and nine rebounds, while J.R. Smith scored 13 points and Raymond Felton chipped in 12 points and six assists to help New York (32-43) finish 3-2 on its western trip. Anthony knew it would be tough for the Knicks to pull it out in a traditionally tough road environment. "Any time you play against Utah on their home court, it is always going to be a grind out there," Anthony said. "Ive been playing them for years. Coming in and out here, a lot of battles and a lot of scars. They are always going to play tough." It wasnt just Anthony willing his team to victory. The Knicks made a collective effort to clamp down on the perimeter in the second half and keep Utah from shooting its way back into the game. New York shot 47 per cent (33 of 70) from the field while holding Utah to just 39 per cent (33 of 85). "We really got into them with our perimeter play," Chandler said. "The guys did an excellent job tonight of closing off the dribble. Even when we did get beat, we would kind of stand on their hip and funnel them into a tough situation, which allowed myself, Cole (Aldrich) and some other bigs to come over and help." Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, Alec Burks added 17 off the bench and Derrick Favours chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost for the 16th time in their last 18 contests. Utah controlled the glass, outrebounding New York 50-38. The Jazz had a 19-7 edge in second-chance points and a 42-36 edge in points in the paint. It didnt matter in the end because Utah went ice cold in a crucial second-half stretch where it produced a single basket in 7 1/2 minutes. "We hit that little lull where we just cant score and that is the difference in the game," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "It happened again tonight and we just have to keep fighting and get better." The Knicks scored on four straight possessions during a 15-2 run in the third quarter. Chandler punctuated the spurt with a layup, giving New York a 63-55 advantage. The Knicks hit 6-of-9 shots to open the quarter. The Jazz chipped away and tied it at 67 on Burks 3-pointer over Anthony, but the Knicks turned up the defence to seize control. The Jazz then made just one basket over a 7 1/2-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters as the Knicks went on a 17-2 run. Anthony drained a pair of baskets to cap the run and give New York an 84-69 lead with 9:53 left in the fourth quarter. "Hes doing a lot of the little things," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "Hes done that all season. Hes been there when we needed him and now everybody is starting to chip in. It doesnt matter who plays. Theyre really taking advantage of the minutes theyre getting." New York jumped on the Jazz quick before quickly fading in the first quarter. The Knicks hit 7-of-9 shots to open the quarter and took a 15-10 lead when Smith drained a jumper and Chandler threw down an alley-oop dunk on consecutive possessions. The Jazz hit their first four baskets from 3-point range. The third one, from Trey Burke, put Utah in front for the first time at 18-15 and the fourth, from Hayward, put the Jazz back ahead 21-19 after Anthony made a pair of baskets to help New York reclaim the lead. Burks made back-to-back baskets and then fed Favours for a layup to boost Utahs lead to 40-30. New York trimmed the lead down at the free throw line when the Jazz got into foul trouble. The Knicks made 5-of-6 free throws before Smiths fadeaway 3-pointer a second before halftime cut it to 49-48. NOTES: Tim Hardaway Jr. left the game with a sprained right ankle. The Knicks said X-rays were negative. ... New York improved to 7-10 on the season in the second game of back-to-back games. ... Favours had his 23rd double-double of the season and the third in Utahs last four games. .... Chandler fell one rebound shy of having his 11th straight game with 10 or more rebounds. Kai Forbath Jersey . Hours after Shelly Sterling said she would fight to keep her ownership of the franchise even if her estranged husband cant, the league said that wouldnt be possible. David Amerson Jersey . "The highly-anticipated showdown between The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva has a new date and home, as UFC president Dana White announced Thursday that the light heavyweight bout will now headline a show in Brazil on May 31," a post on the organizations website said.The worlds most anticipated sporting event is upon us. Brazil will open the 2014 World Cup at home Thursday against Croatia. You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050, 690, 1260 and TEAM 1410 starting at 4pm et/1pm pt. Thirty-two nations will compete to achieve world-wide soccer supremacy over the next month with plenty of intrigue and drama to be had in the process. The question is, who is your pick to hoist the Jules Rimet Trophy as World Cup champion on July 13? One of the obvious choices is the host team. Anything but a first place finish for captain Thiago Silva and the Brazilians would be a massive disappointment for the soccer-crazed nation. The club is stacked with young superstars like Neymar up front with experienced veterans on defence like Dante and Dani Alves. Brazil has what it takes to win it all, but will have to handle the pressure of playing on home soil. To be the champ you have to beat the champ and that is Spain. The defending World Cup champions and two-time defending European champions will be vying for a fourth straight major title in Brazil. They definitely have the horses to get it done with Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Juan Mata leading the way. Forward Diego Costa is also 100 per cent healthy after sufferingg from a nagging hamstring, adding to Spains lethal scoring weapons up front. Roy Helu Jersey. Then there is the team who has arguably the best footballer in the world. Lionel Messi and Argentina will look to capture their first World Cup title since 1986 in Mexico. They looked to be on that path back in 2010 in South Africa until Germany trounced them in the quarterfinals. Messi was unable to score at that World Cup and will be looking for retribution. Germany always seems to be in the mix and theres no reason 2014 should be any different. Germanys strength is their midfield which could be the best in the whole tournament. Even with the absence of Marco Rues and the questionable health of Sami Khedira, the German midfield is still one to be reckoned with. Germany is one of the most well-rounded squads in the tournament and will be a tough challenge for any opponent. Uruguay is a strong entry too, but with the uncertainty of elite striker Luis Suarez due to recent knee surgery, the South American team might be in a tough position. Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese club along with Belgium, Netherlands and Croatia are all teams that could surprise some people too. Its a tough call, but its yours to make. Who will win the World Cup? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '
