Wall helps Wizards fend off Knicks
NEW YORK -- John Wall scored 29 points and recorded 13 assists for his 25th double-double of the season, leading the Washington Wizards to a 113-110 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Wall's two free throws with 32 seconds left gave Washington (23-19) a 111-110 lead after Derrick Rose had given the Knicks a 110-109 edge with 48 seconds left.
Carmelo Anthony missed a jumper with 18 seconds to go that would have tied the score. Anthony poured in 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Knicks (19-25). Kristaps Porzingis scored 15 points in his first game back from an Achilles injury.
Otto Porter Jr. tossed in 23 points and Marcin Gortat scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Wizards.
Anthony's 3-pointer cut the Washington lead to 106-102 with 4:36 to go.
Two free throws from Porter pushed the Wizards lead to 106-97 with six minutes to play.
Porter scored 15 points in the third quarter when the Wizards staged their biggest lead, 100-84. Anthony recorded just one point in the frame, going 0 for 4 from the floor with a turnover.
Anthony set a Knicks record for points in a quarter, when he poured in 25 of the Knicks' 40 second quarter points, including a jumper with 27 seconds left in the second quarter that gave New York a 67-66 edge. He was 10 of 12 from the floor, mostly on mid- to long-range jumpers.
A breakaway dunk from Knicks guard Justin Holiday tied the game at 59 with 2:42 left in the second quarter.
Wall contributed 11 points and seven assists to help Washington to a 38-25 first quarter lead. It was the second time this season the Knicks allowed that many points in the opening period.
NOTES: The Knicks were without C Joakim Noah (sore left ankle) and F Lance Thomas (fractured left orbital bone). ... Washington has won 13 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in the NBA and the franchise's longest since the then Bullets won 15 straight in 1989. ... Washington G John Wall recorded a steal in the first quarter for his 30th straight game with at least a steal -- the longest active streak in the league.