The shorthanded New York Knicks won their eighth game in the last nine Wednesday by overpowering the Orlando Magic 108-86 behind a 25-point performance from Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who also had six assists and five rebounds, took charge of the Knicks' offense with Jeremy Lin and Amare Stoudemire both sitting out with injuries. Anthony was playing hurt as he had to battle through a groin problem Wednesday. Iman Shumpert finished with 25 points while Steve Novak and J.R. Smith had 16 and 12, respectively, off the bench for New York. The win gives the Knicks a sweep of their three game homestand and it was their eighth win in the last nine. Guard Baron Davis started in place of point guard Lin and finished with 11 points. With their victory, the Knicks improved to 8-1 under interim coach Mike Woodson. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard combined for 29 points for Orlando, who lost for the first time in four games. Nets 100, Pacers 84: Deron Williams had 30 points and 9 assists and the injury-ravaged New Jersey Nets beat the visiting Indiana Pacers, finishing the game with just eight healthy players. Paul George had 22 points for the Pacers, whose leading scorer, Danny Granger, was limited to 5 points before fouling out. Celtics 94, Jazz 82: Kevin Garnett scored 23 points and added 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo had 14 assists to lead host Boston. The win was the Celtics' fifth in six tries. They moved into a tie with the Philadelphia 76ers atop the Atlantic Division. Gordon Hayward scored 19 points for the Jazz, and the former Celtic Al Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Utah fell into a three-way tie with the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets for the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference. Bulls 98, Hawks 77: Luol Deng scored 22 points, hitting 5 of 8 3-pointers as NBA-leading Chicago won on the road again. The Bulls, who also got 20 points from Carlos Boozer, improved their league-leading away record to 21-6 and their overall mark to 41-11, even while missing Derrick Rose for the eighth straight game with a shoulder injury. Josh Smith topped Atlanta's scorers with 19 points, but had only 6 in the second half. Timberwolves 88, Bobcats 83: Kevin Love had 40 points and 19 rebounds to lift Minnesota past host Charlotte. Love, who entered the game averaging 30.6 points in March, has scored at least 20 points in 14 of 15 games and has nine straight double-doubles. Luke Ridnour had a season-high 14 assists and added 15 points for Minnesota, which is fighting to get into playoff contention in the Western Conference. Corey Maggette had 22 points, and Kemba Walker added 20. Pistons 87, Cavaliers 75: Tayshaun Prince matched a season high with 29 points and the rookie Brandon Knight added 16 to help Detroit beat host Cleveland, handing the Cavaliers their fifth straight loss. Raptors 105, Nuggets 96: Andrea Bargnani scored 26 points, Jose Calderon had 10 points and 10 assists and host Toronto snapped a nine-game losing streak against Denver. It was the Raptors' first win against the Nuggets since March 23, 2007. Ty Lawson had 26 points and 9 assists for Denver. Spurs 117, Kings 112: Manu Ginobili led a balanced attack with 20 points off the bench, as San Antonio held off Sacramento at Power Balance Pavilion. Hornets 102, Warriors 87: Marco Belinelli was one of three Hornets to tally 20-plus points, finishing with 22 to lead the Hornets to ictory over the Warriors. Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack poured in 20 points apiece for New Orleans. Clippers 103, Suns 86: Blake Griffin had 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and the Clippers cruised to an easy win over the Suns. The Clippers have won five in a row at home and three straight overall.
