Knicks 101, Bobcats 91
Carmelo Anthony led the way with 28 points and eight rebounds as visiting New York eased past Charlotte.
Andrea Bargnani started in place of the injured Tyson Chandler at center and collected 25 points and eight rebounds while Raymond Felton scored 15 for the Knicks, who avenged a home loss to the Bobcats earlier in the week.
Kemba Walker, whose collision with Chandler on Tuesday left the center with a broken leg, scored 25 points and Gerald Henderson added 18 for Charlotte, which was operating without head coach Steve Clifford. Former New York All-Star Patrick Ewing served as interim head coach in place of Clifford, who underwent surgery to place two stents in his heart.
The Knicks grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and did not trail the rest of the way, going up 47-36 on Bargnani’s 3-pointer with 4:37 left in the second before settling for a 51-47 lead at the break.
Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored on the opening possession of the third to make it a one-possession game but New York responded with a 15-0 burst that featured three 3-pointers. The Knicks led by as many as 19 points in the third and went into the final frame with an 85-69 edge, keeping the lead in double figures the rest of the way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Clifford checked himself into the hospital on Thursday night after suffering chest pains. He will be out indefinitely. … Knicks F Kenyon Martin and F Amar’e Stoudemire combined for five points (all from Stoudemire) and three rebounds in 18 minutes. … New York went 12-for-26 from 3-point range, led by Bargnani (3-for-9) and Pablo Prigioni (3-for-4).