Anthony, Porzingis propel Knicks past Hawks
NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony poured in 31 points and Kristaps Porzingis had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds to give the New York Knicks a 104-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks (6-7) have won two of their last three.
Atlanta (9-4) received 19 points from Paul Millsap and 18 points and 18 rebounds from Dwight Howard.
The Knicks led by as many 13 points in the fourth quarter.
A basket by Anthony gave New York a 70-55 cushion, its biggest lead to that point, with 3:47 left in the third quarter.
Just before Porzingis picked up his fourth foul, the Knicks went on a 12-0 run for a 64-51 lead with 5:11 left in the third quarter.
In just 17 minutes of the first half, Howard had already posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony and Porzingis accounted for 59 percent of the Knicks' 46 first-half points. The duo combined for 27 points. The teams were a combined 3 of 23 from beyond the arc.
Tim Hardaway Jr.'s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in the second quarter brought the Hawks within 44-41. However, Knicks guard Courtney Lee countered with a layup 17 seconds later to boost the Knicks' lead to 46-41.
A short jumper by Porzingis gave the New York a 34-24 edge with 7:33 left in the second quarter, but a 7-1 run from the Hawks narrowed
the Knicks' lead to 35-31 with 5:20 left.
Kyle O'Quinn scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds but committed three fouls as the Knicks led 24-20 after the first quarter.
NOTES: Knicks F Lance Thomas missed his fourth straight game with an assortment of injuries. He has a bone bruise in his left ankle and plantar fasciitis in both feet. ... Atlanta C Tiago Splitter's return from a Grade 2 hamstring strain that has forced him to miss the start of the season is uncertain. ... Former Knicks reserve G Tim Hardaway Jr. has posted four 20-point games for the Hawks. He ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. ... The Knicks activated C Marshall Plumlee from Westchester of the D-League to replace C Joakim Noah, who was out with an illness. Kyle O'Quinn started in place of Noah. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer on C Dwight Howard's ejection after a flagrant-2 foul on Friday night in Charlotte: "To be ejected was probably the right thing. He (Howard) knows it. He also knows he wants to continue to play physical and be a presence on the boards."