Hours after saying the game
was “almost a must win” for the Knicks, Anthony added 10 rebounds, and the
Knicks got some help when Dwight Howard fouled out in the extra session, then
picked up his NBA-leading 17th technical foul.
Amare Stoudemire had 20
points for the Knicks, who won for just the second time in 11 games and inched
closer to their first playoff berth since 2004.
Howard rebounded from a quiet
first half to finish with 29 points and 18 rebounds, but Orlando didn’t score
after he picked up his sixth foul.
76ers 97 Bulls 85: In
Chicago, Thaddeus Young scored 21
points and the Philadelphia 76ers built a 23-point lead and held on, beating
the Chicago Bulls and ending their 14-game home winning streak.
Chicago, losing for only the
second time in its last 14 games overall, got 31 points from Derrick Rose, who
also had 10 turnovers. The Bulls still own the best record in the East, leading
by two games over the Celtics and Heat. Boston lost to Indiana on Monday night
and Miami was idle.
Andre Iguodala added 19
points and seven assists for the 76ers, who lost at the United Center by 45
points in December.
Carlos Boozer scored 15
points for the Bulls, and Joakim Noah had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Bobcats 87 Bucks 86: In Charlotte, North Carolina, Gerald Henderson scored the final seven
points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left, and the
short-handed Charlotte Bobcats staged an unlikely comeback to beat the
mistake-prone Milwaukee Bucks 87-86 on Monday night.
Starting with no available
centers before losing their top two point guards to injuries, the Bobcats
remained in playoff contention after Brandon Jennings missed two layups and a
3-pointer in the final 15 seconds that would have put the Bucks ahead.
Stephen Jackson scored 18 points
for the Bobcats, who held Milwaukee scoreless over the final 3:52.
Jennings and Andrew Bogut had
26 points apiece for the Bucks, who lost their second straight and continued an
alarming trend of blowing fourth-quarter leads.
Pacers 107 Celtics 100: In
Indianapolis, Roy Hibbert scored
26 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the Boston Celtics and remained in sole
possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Boston point guard Rajon
Rondo started after missing Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a jammed
finger on his right hand. Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that Rondo
would not play, but Rondo scored 10 points in the first 5:10 and finished with
22 points and eight assists.
Paul Pierce led Boston with
23 points, and Glen Davis added 20 for the Celtics, who are fading in their
quest to catch Chicago for the best record in the East.
Trail Blazers 100 Spurs 92:
In San Antonio, Andre Miller
scored 26 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the slumping and banged-up
San Antonio Spurs as Tony Parker , Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan sat out with
injuries.
The Blazers beat the NBA’s
winningest team for the second time in three days, this time with four San
Antonio starters sidelined. Gerald Wallace added 14 points for Portland and hit
a crucial 3-pointer with 2:02 left, finishing a quick 7-0 burst that put the
Blazers ahead.
George Hill had 27 points for
the Spurs, who have lost four in row, their longest slide this season.
Wizards 100 Jazz 95, OT: In
Salt Lake City, rookie John Wall
scored 28 points, and Jordan Crawford hit a key shot at the end of regulation
and then made two steals in overtime to lead the Washington Wizards to only
their second road win.
Crawford finished with 25
points, including eight in the fourth quarter and the tying shot with 4.4
seconds left in regulation. Maurice Evans scored seven of his 12 points in
overtime for the Wizards, who were without five players because of injury.
C.J. Miles led the Jazz,
which has lost six straight, with 17 points but he made only 3 of 12 from
3-point range and was 1 of 4 in overtime.
