NEW YORK (AP) – Carmelo Anthony scored 18 of his 31 points in the third quarter and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 92-80 on Sunday.
With Kobe Bryant out for the season and both teams among the worst in the NBA, it was anything but a Super Sunday in New York, where the national TV audience that was originally scheduled to see it missed the Lakers shooting 35.5 percent from the field.
Anthony stood out above the ugliness, soaring to dunk an alley-oop pass in the second quarter before turning mostly to his jumper in the third to help New York pull away. He shot 13 of 25 and grabbed eight rebounds. Langston Galloway added 13 points for the Knicks, who have won five of seven and did it easily, building their first 20-point lead since they were up 21 in a victory over Philadelphia on Nov. 22.
Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
Jordan Clarkson also scored 19 points.
HEAT 83, CELTICS 75
BOSTON (AP) – Hassan Whiteside scored half of his 20 points during a dominant stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters and Miami held off Boston to snap a two-game slide.
Whiteside also had nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Chris Bosh added 18 points, and Tyler Johnson had 13, helping overcome the absences of Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng. Wade missed his second game in a row with a strained right hamstring, while Deng sat out his third straight with a strained calf.
Avery Bradley and Tyler Zeller led the Celtics with 17 points apiece.
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