Anthony's last-second jumper lifts Knicks past 76ers
NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with three-tenths of a second remaining and the New York Knicks survived a fourth-quarter collapse and escaped Madison Square Garden with a 110-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night.
The Knicks nearly blew a double-digit lead to Philadelphia for the second time this season, but this time Anthony hit the 11-footer from the left wing to give New York its final cushion.
The Knicks needed Anthony's dramatic shot because they scored eight points in the final 5 1/2 minutes and lost the lead on a short jumper by Jahlil Okafor with nine seconds remaining.
Okafor's shot gave the 76ers a 109-108 lead and occurred after T.J. McConnell grabbed the offensive rebound of a blocked layup by Dario Saric.
Okafor's shot also occurred after Robert Covington intercepted a pass by Lance Thomas and shortly after Anthony was late to close out on a McConnell 3-pointer with under two minutes left that made it 105-102.
Anthony topped 30 points for the 15th time as he made 15 of 25 shots. Derrick Rose added 18 for the Knicks, who blew a 10-point lead in the final four-plus minutes at Philadelphia on Jan. 11
Okafor led Philadelphia with a season-high 28 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Covington added 20 points and Saric contributed 19 for the Sixers.
Before the collapse, the Knicks took the lead late in the first quarter and gradually built it up. They held a 10-point lead at halftime, two 17-point leads in the third and an 86-75 lead going into the fourth.
NOTES: New York C Joakim Noah (sore left hamstring) missed his seventh straight game. Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said Noah re-injured it shortly into a conditioning drill right before the All-Star break when he drove to the rim. ... Newly acquired 76ers G-F Justin Anderson made his debut in the first quarter and played four minutes. ... Hornacek said the Knicks are running the triangle offense more than 50 percent of the time in an effort to improve defensive positioning. "There is more of (the triangle), I couldn't give you a percentage but it's definitely more," Hornacek said. Hornacek also said team president Phil Jackson was not involved in the decision. ... C Andrew Bogut (personal) was inactive for the second straight night and not with the 76ers, who are expected to negotiate a buyout with him. ... F Lance Thomas completed New York's fifth four-point play of the season in the second quarter.