NEW YORK -- Theres little margin for error, and the New York Knicks know it. Mike Daniels Packers Jersey . They need a big finish to the regular season, and after the way theyve started the last two games, maybe they have one in them. Carmelo Anthony scored 18 of his 29 points in the first quarter, sending the Knicks to a rare easy night in a 108-81 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday. With a long way to go to get back into playoff position, the Knicks won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak. They began a favourable portion of their schedule by opening an early double-digit lead and remaining comfortably ahead the rest of the way. They scored 39 points in the first quarter, their best in any period this season, after scoring 38 in the opening 12 minutes at Minnesota on Wednesday. "Last two games is, we had no choice," coach Mike Woodson said. "Time is somewhat running out and every game is important." Anthony added a season-high eight assists while playing just three quarters of a game that wasnt competitive for long after the opening tip. J.R. Smith had 17 points and Tyson Chandler finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who led by as many as 32. "We can either cave in and let teams beat the hell out of us, or we can come out there fighting," Smith said. "Thankfully we are coming out here fighting and it starts on the defensive end." Amare Stoudemire, who has moved into the starting lineup along with Smith, scored 10 for the Knicks. They visit Cleveland on Saturday to play one of the teams in between them and Atlanta, which currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York entered play 5 1/2 games behind the Hawks. The losing has wrecked Anthonys hopes of putting off discussion about his free-agency plans until after the season. His brief postgame questions were focused on reports that Chicagos Joakim Noah talked to him about joining the Bulls, and that the Knicks had spoken to Phil Jackson about a role in the organizations management. "Its going to be more stories coming out, more speculation, everybodys going to have their own take on different stories, so for me Ive got to focus on playing ball and thats it," Anthony said. He did it well Friday, despite battling a cold. Anthony scored New Yorks final 11 points in the first quarter, with a four-point play and another 3-pointer in the final 38 seconds as the Knicks opened a 39-22 lead on 70 per cent shooting. New York stretched the lead to 21 late in the second quarter and was ahead 60-41 at halftime. New York is 23-40 but still has playoff aspirations due to all the weak competition at the bottom of the East. The Knicks upcoming schedule gives them hope, with games against Philadelphia, Boston and Milwaukee, all among the NBAs worst teams, next week. They had no trouble with the Jazz, another lowly squad that lost to the Knicks for the fifth straight time. Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks each scored 18 for the Jazz, who dropped their fifth straight and fell to 0-5 on their six-game, nine-day trip that ends Saturday in Philadelphia. "I thought for two or three months weve played pretty steady basketball, right around .500 basketball. For us that was a step in the right direction," forward Richard Jefferson said. "Now were at the end of the season, youve got a lot of guys playing minutes that theyve never played before. We can see fatigue, frustration. A lot of things are coming into play, but youve got to stick with it." NOTES: The Knicks will take part in a news conference Monday at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y., with county and NBA Development League officials to discuss their plans to bring a franchise to Westchester. ... Blown out in Chicago on ABC last Sunday, the Knicks had their April 13 rematch with the Bulls in New York booted off the network Friday. It will become a 7:30 p.m. start with no national TV coverage, while Oklahoma City at Indiana was moved to the 1 p.m. spot. ... Utahs trip is the longest by days since early in the 2003-04 season. A.J. Hawk Jersey . 2 Ohio State to a 64-35 drubbing of Texas-Pan American on Saturday. Buckeyes sophomore forward Jared Sullinger missed the game with back spasms, but that didnt stop Ohio State (8-0), as Deshaun Thomas dropped 11 points to go with five rebounds, while Scott Shannon and Jordan Sibert contributed seven points apiece. Paul Hornung Jersey . Filion, from Laval, Que., and Montreals Benfeito finished third with 326.10 points. Ruolin Chen and Hao Wang of China won gold with 360.66 points and Paola Espinosa and Alejandra Orozco of Mexico were second at 327.LONDON -- Hull reached the FA Cup final for the first time in its 110-year history as the Premier League side twice came from behind to beat third-tier club Sheffield United 5-3 in a lively encounter on Sunday. After winning world footballs oldest cup competition three times as a Manchester United player in the 1990s, Hull manager Steve Bruce will bring his team back to Wembley Stadium on May 17 for the final against 10-time winner Arsenal. "If you had said 10 years ago that Hull will play Arsenal in the FA Cup final, people would have been scratching their heads," Bruce said. "It just shows you what can be done." Hull is now just one game away from emulating Wigans surprising run to the title last year. But the team will need to improve vastly on its first-half performance in order to win the clubs first major trophy after United -- which won the last of its four FA Cups in 1925 and last played in the Premier League in the 2007 -- twice led at the national stadium. But Hull was transformed after halftime, with Matty Fryatt restoring parity at 2-2 before Tom Huddlestone and Stephen Quinn gave the northeast team what appeared to be a comfortable cushion. Even though Jamie Murphy pulled a late goal back for United, David Meyler quickly responded to secure Hulls first trip to a major final. "We were very sloppy in the first half and didnt get going," Meyler said. "We got together at halftime and regrouped. Its fantastic." One dilemma for Bruce in the final will be whether to play son Alex Bruce, who remained on the bench throughout the semifinal. At the 1991 final, Nigel Clough played up front in father Brians Nottingham Forest team, which lost to Tottenham. Nigel Clough was back at Wembley managing Sheffield United on Sunday for an emotional occasion as English football marks the 25-year anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. Clough was in the Forest team on April 15, 1989, for the FA Cup semiffinal at Sheffield Wednesdays ground that became the scene of Britains worst sporting disaster as 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death. Mason Crosby Jersey. "With the tributes its been a very, very emotional weekend for everybody in football," Clough said. "Twenty-five years on the feelings are the same." The Hillsborough game lasted just six minutes before the full magnitude of the deadly crush became clear. On this weekend of tributes to the victims, and education for a new generation of fans, every game kicked off seven minutes later than usual. Fittingly, Uniteds opening goal came from Jose Baxter, a boyhood Liverpool fan who went on to play for Everton. After bundling the ball in from close range, the 22-year-old Baxter removed his black armband and held it up while looking up to the sky. Baxters side was in the ascendancy for much of the first half, making Hull look ordinary, until Sagbo slid in to equalize in the 42nd. But Uniteds lead was restored inside 100 seconds as Stefan Scougall completed a speedy break. The game swung in Hulls favour, however, within 10 minutes of the second half as Fryatt forced the ball over the line from close range after United failed to fully clear a corner, and Huddlestone weaved his way through the defence before cooling chipping into the net. Then came what proved to Hulls match-winner, with Quinn heading in against his former club in the 67th. Even though Murphy gave United hope of a dramatic comeback by slicing in his teams third in the 90th, Meylers goal settled the match. If Hull does manage to etch its name onto the FA Cup, it wont be the one Hull owner Assem Allam wants to see. The Egyptian businessman was rebuffed by the FA earlier this week in his attempt to change Hull City to Hull Tigers, a name he believes would help the team earn more international fans and exposure. Winning the Cup -- and qualifying for the Europa League -- could have the same effect.cheap jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
