Knicks 95, Pelicans 87
NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks, aided by strong play from their bench, won for just the second time at home this season, knocking off the New Orleans Pelicans 95-87 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks (5-6) are 2-4 at the Garden.
New York was paced by forward Carmelo Anthony's 29 points and 13 rebounds, but it was the Knicks reserves who made the difference.
Backup point guard Langston Galloway scored 15 points and power forward Kevin Seraphin added 12 points in 13 minutes.
Forward Anthony Davis showed no ill effects from a hip contusion that kept him out for two previous games. He poured in 36 points, pulled in 11 rebounds and blocked four shots in 40 minutes. Forward Ryan Anderson contributed 16 points.
Knicks rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis had his first poor shooting game of the young season, hitting only 4 of his 15 shots from the floor.
The Knicks opened the fourth quarter on a 16-7 run to take an 82- 72 lead with 6:35 to play. Galloway scored six points in the sequence and Seraphin added four.
Seraphin came off the Knicks bench in the third quarter and scored six critical points to help New York to a 68-65 edge. His hook shot moved the Knicks ahead 66-60 with 2:06 left in the quarter and his jumper with 14 seconds to go provided the three-point cushion going into the fourth quarter.
The score was tied on four occasions in the second quarter before New Orleans guard Toney Douglas hit two free throws with 54 seconds left to lift the Pelicans to a 44-42 halftime lead. Like the first quarter, Davis was a big factor in the second, scoring nine points, grabbing five rebounds and blocking three shots.
Davis scored nine points in seven minutes and Anderson came off the bench to deposit six points to help the Pelicans to a 27-23 first-quarter lead. The Knicks sank just nine of their 25 shots from the floor (36 percent) in the quarter.
NOTES: The Pelicans were without C Kendrick Perkins (right pectoral), G Quincy Pondexter (left knee), G Tyreke Evans (right knee) and G Norris Cole (sprained left ankle). ... Knicks G Cleanthony Early was inactive. ... New Yok G Langston Galloway entered the game second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.559). ... In their first nine games, New Orleans ranked last in points allowed per game (111.0) and was tied for last in defensive field-goal percentage (47.9). The Pelicans have also allowed an average of 30.8 points on 60.3 percent shooting in the fourth quarter over their past four games.