NBA

Anthony hurt, but Knicks rally

— Carmelo Anthony tripped, stumbled and fell.

The New York Knicks picked themselves up and won without him.

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points, J.R. Smith added 18 and the Knicks overcame a 22-point deficit and the loss of Anthony, their All-Star forward who went out with a knee injury in the first half, to beat the Cavaliers 102-97 on Monday night and end a 10-game losing streak in Cleveland.

Steve Novak made three of New York’s seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter and added 15 points as the Knicks, sparked by their second unit, shook off a tough home loss Sunday, when they blew a 16-point lead to Miami.

The Knicks trailed 52-30 in the second quarter when Anthony got twisted up after catching a pass near midcourt and dropped to the floor.

Following the game, Anthony said the knee has been bothering him for several weeks.

“It’s just sore, not pain, sore and stiffness,” Anthony said in a crowded corridor outside New York’s locker room. “It’s been going on for a while now.”

Anthony, who entered the game tied with Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant for the NBA scoring lead, said he underwent an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] “a couple days ago.” He said the test results were negative, and he does not yet know if he’ll be able to play Wednesday night when the Knicks visit Detroit.

“Today I just woke up and you know how some days you really don’t feel right,” he said. “I came out here and I tried to warm up and I thought it was going to loosen up before the game, but some of the things that I was doing I felt like I was dragging it.”

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in his first game back after missing Cleveland’s past three with a hyper extended right knee. Irving added six assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes.

After New York’s Jason Kidd made 1 of 2 free throws with six seconds left, the Cavaliers had a chance to tie it.

Coach Byron Scott put the ball in the hands of Irving, who scored a career-high 41 against the Knicks on Dec. 15. The point guard couldn’t beat Tyson Chandler off the dribble and then had his three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left blocked cleanly by New York’s 7-foot-1 center.

“I knew they were going to him,” Chandler said. “I knew if I got switched on him I would force him to drive. He went for the three-point shot and I kind of baited him into shooting where I could still get to the shot.”

Smith was fouled and made two free throws in the final second to close out a victory the Knicks needed badly. They are just 18-16 after opening the season 18-5.

New York’s bench outscored its starters 70-32.

Sports, Pages 21 on 03/05/2013

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