Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 43 points, making the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds left in overtime, and the New York Knicks spoiled Derrick Rose's return to the lineup to beat the Chicago Bulls, 100-99, Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Rose scored 29 points after missing the previous 12 games with a strained right groin, but he shot only 8 of 26 from the field and missed a pair of free throws with 19 seconds left in regulation and the Bulls ahead by 3. Anthony made a 3-pointer eight seconds later to tie it, and scored the final 5 points of the extra period as the...

One playoff victory was good enough for Mike Woodson to return as New York Knicks coach — even with Phil Jackson lurking as a potential candidate. Woodson knows more will be asked of him now. "I know expectations are high and they should be high," Woodson said during a conference call, "and I'm looking forward to the challenge. " The Knicks removed the interim tag Friday and announced they had given Woodson a multiyear contract extension, rewarding him for a terrific finish to what had been a turbulent season.

Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, his highest total in two months, and the New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 89-80, Monday night without injured Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin to increase their lead for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Shortly after learning Stoudemire was lost indefinitely with a bulging disk in his back, the Knicks opened a 2 1/2-game lead over the Bucks. Baron Davis scored 13 points in his first start in place of Lin, who has a sore right knee.

LeBron James was still on the court, enjoying the moment after ousting the New York Knicks, when the first questions came about what's next for the Miami Heat. For one day, Indiana can wait. Having Thursday off from practice is Miami's first playoff prize, and although a five-game win over the Knicks might have seemed easy, the reigning Eastern Conference champions insisted afterward that it was more grinding than it appeared. James had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both scored 19 points and the Heat beat the short-handed Knicks...

Jeremy Lin had 19 points and 13 assists and Carmelo Anthony scored 22, but the New York Knicks turned around this one with their reserves to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 120-103, last night at Madison Square Garden. "I think our second unit did an awesome job," Lin said. "I think we've been talking a lot about our depth and tonight we definitely got to see the depth, and so that's going to be a strength of ours and we need to continue to use that. " Steve Novak had 17 points off the bench as the Knicks turned a 17-point deficit into an easy win, outscoring the Cavs,...

Drops of blood stained the carpet leading up to the back entrance of the New York Knicks' locker room. The glass portion of a nearby fire-extinguisher case was quickly replaced. And Amare Stoudemire needed doctors and paramedics to treat a postgame cut on his left hand. Game 2 probably wasn't all the Knicks lost in Miami on Monday night. Stoudemire left the building with a bulky wrap over his left hand, long after the Heat took control of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series with a 104-94 win over the Knicks, going up 2-0 in the matchup.

The most mesmerizing and memorable basketball moments on Christmas Day did not occur during the Knicks-Celtics season opener on TNT, or any of the other four NBA games that followed on ESPN/ABC. Instead, they popped up on television screens a few moments before Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, and the rest of the Celtics and Knicks tipped off a season that until late November was in jeopardy of being a casualty of the lockout. Through the magic of composite editing and the on-deadline brilliance of TNT creative director Drew Watkins and his team, the network opened its broadcast with...

The Chinese Basketball Association will restrict contracted NBA players from playing for domestic teams in the event the season is canceled, but will still allow free agents, state media reported Friday. The CBA would bar players under contract such as Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul. They and others had expressed interest in playing in China if the NBA lockout drags on and results in the cancellation of all or part of the 2011-12 season. The CBA said it will welcome free agent NBA players, but will require them to play an entire season in China, the Xinhua News...

The Chinese Basketball Association will discuss whether to allow NBA players to join Chinese clubs temporarily, with an opt-out clause that activates when the NBA's lockout ends. Without such a clause, NBA players would be reluctant to play in China because they wouldn't be able to return to the NBA until their Chinese contract ends. The main news portal of China's General Administration of Sport said measures to bring in foreign players are still being worked out and that the Chinese Basketball Association will discuss the opt-out clause Friday.

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points in three quarters, rookie Iman Shumpert added 16, and the New York Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets 92-83 on Saturday in the preseason opener for both teams. Renaldo Balkman had 20 points for the Knicks, who got only 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting from Amare Stoudemire. But they got a strong effort from their reserves, with Shumpert, the first-round pick from Georgia Tech, outplaying starting guards Toney Douglas and Landry Fields. Tyson Chandler, who helped Dallas win the NBA title before coming to New York in a sign-and-trade, had four points, four...

Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a cut hand, and the Knicks snapped a league-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by beating the Miami Heat, 89-87, Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round series in New York. "I think it's the first of many," said Stoudemire, his left arm back in a sling to keep his hand elevated. "Tonight was a great win for us, for our fans to finally get over that hump of those consecutive games that we lost.

Amare Stoudemire raised his hands in the air, one covered in padding, as streamers fell from the ceiling above him. Finally, New York could celebrate an NBA playoff victory again. Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, Stoudemire had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a cut hand, and the Knicks snapped an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by beating the Miami Heat 89-87 Sunday in Game 4 of their first-round series. "I think it's the first of many," said Stoudemire, his left arm back in a sling to keep his hand elevated.

LeBron James had more turnovers and fouls than baskets, and still the Miami Heat were ahead. James didn't like having to sit, but he sure liked what he saw. "I'm not a guy who's in foul trouble a lot, so it was difficult for me to sit down early in the third," he said. "But we have a great supporting cast. Our defense was tremendous in the third quarter. It allowed us to go into the fourth quarter with a lead. " Then James came back and increased it. James scored 32 points, including eight straight to start the fourth quarter and break...

Amare Stoudemire draped a towel over his left hand as he walked into the privacy of the New York Knicks' training room an hour after the game, needing a sanctuary from prying eyes. The specifics of what Stoudemire did immediately after Game 2 were unclear. Only this was certain: His hand was cut so severely that doctors and paramedics were summoned, drops of blood stained the carpet, a piece of glass in the door to a fire-extinguisher case needed to be replaced, and a bad night for the Knicks on the court got much worse when Stoudemire walked off it. ...

Amare Stoudemire's difficult season may be over. Stoudemire had a small muscle in his left hand repaired Tuesday and will not play for the New York Knicks in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat on Thursday. Stoudemire met with a hand specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, a day after he was badly cut when he punched the case surrounding a fire extinguisher after the Knicks' 104-94 loss in Miami. The Knicks are listing Stoudemire as doubtful for Game 4 on Sunday.

Drops of blood stained the carpet leading up to the back entrance of the New York Knicks' locker room. The glass portion of a nearby fire-extinguisher case was quickly replaced. And Amare Stoudemire needed doctors and paramedics to treat a postgame cut on his left hand. Game 2 probably wasn't all the Knicks lost in Miami on Monday night. Stoudemire left the building with a bulky wrap over his left hand, long after the Heat took control of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series with a 104-94 win over the Knicks, going up 2-0 in the...

Carmelo Anthony had 27 points and the nine rebounds, and the New York Knicks snapped the Philadelphia 76ers' six-game winning streak with an 85-79 victory on Wednesday night. Amare Stoudemire added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Josh Harrellson contributed 13 desperately needed points from the bench as the Knicks won their fourth in a row and improved to two games over .500 for the first time this season. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner each scored 16 points for the 76ers, who were playing from behind nearly the entire way while trying to become the second team this...

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and Mike Bibby added 16 to lead the New York Knicks to an easy 103-80 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. Carmelo Anthony scored 13 points in three quarters for New York, which led 64-42 at halftime and by 29 after three. The Detroit fans had little to cheer about — except when highlights of Lions touchdowns from their playoff game in New Orleans were shown on the big screen. Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 19 points.

LeBron James dropped to the floor holding the back of his head, grimacing and then staggering a bit when he reached his feet. A few moments later, he was fine. And a few moments after that, the Miami Heat had complete control of Game 1 against the New York Knicks. James scored 32 points after shooting 10 for 14 from the field, and the Heat rode the strength of what became a 32-2 run to easily beat the Knicks 100-67 on Saturday, striking first in the series between clubs that waged classic annual battles from 1997 through 2000 and are meeting for the first time since.

Sure, basketball is a team sport, but NBA games are often won and lost by individual matchups. Here are five to watch in the first round of the playoffs. –– LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony Anthony averaged 29.8 points in April for the New York Knicks, but that was largely against power forwards he had quickness advantages on. Now he has to deal with James, his longtime friend and Olympic teammate who held him to only two baskets in the fourth quarter of the Miami Heat's 93-85 victory at Madison Square Garden on April 15. What they're...