Sixers Drop 5th Straight; Fall To Knicks 99-93
NEW YORK (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, Amare Stoudemire had a season-high 22, and the New York Knicks snapped their longest losing streak of the season at four games by beating the Philadelphia 76ers99-93 on Sunday night.
Anthony made 16 of 18 free throws and also was called for a flagrant foul for the fired-up Knicks, who have fallen behind Indiana into third place in the Eastern Conference and whose Atlantic Division lead over the Brooklyn Nets is down to two games.
They were sharp enough to build a couple of big leads and turn away the runs Philadelphia made, handing the76ers their eighth straight road loss.
All-Star Jrue Holiday had 30 points, five rebounds and five assists for the 76ers, who have lost five straight overall. Evan Turner had 21 points and Thaddeus Young added 11 points and 10 rebounds after missing six games with a strained left hamstring.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson declined to make a lineup change, and it was Stoudemire and the reserves who helped New York take control early in the second quarter, and the starters who reopened a big lead to begin the third.
Raymond Felton finished with 14 points despite bruising his right heel and J.R. Smith also had 14 for the Knicks.
76ers coach Doug Collins said he expected the Knicks to be "testy" and "edgy" and that was the case with about 7½ minutes left in the third quarter and the Knicks leading by 14. Anthony appeared to hit Hawes behind the head, and when they began to exchange words, Chandler rushed in and shoved Hawes back. Anthony ended up called for a flagrant foul, and Chandler and Hawes were whistled for technical.
The 76ers rallied a bit afterward, getting within 76-67 at the end of three, but then Stoudemire scored the first four of the final quarter and Philadelphia didn't really get close again until the final minutes.
The 76ers have lost 17 of their last 20 road games and haven't won away from home since beating the Lakers on New Year's Day. The eight-game skid is their longest since also dropping eight in a row from Nov. 10 to Dec. 3, 2010.
The Knicks led 24-22 after one, then opened the second with a 17-2 run to build a 41-24 lead on Pablo Prigioni's free throws with 7:15 remaining in the quarter. New York was ahead 52-40 at halftime behind 18 points from Anthony and 11 more from Stoudemire on 5-of-6 shooting.
NOTES: The Knicks signed Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract Saturday. Though he hasn't played since finishing last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, Martin said he has kept himself in good shape and would find ways to produce until he got back into good basketball condition. "Sometimes it's mind over matter, will over situation," he said. Martin has played with a number of Knicks on other teams and his locker is next to Jason Kidd, his teammate on two NBA Finals teams in New Jersey in 2002-03. A former No. 1 pick in the draft, Martin said it was "humbling" to now be on a 10-day contract, adding he was "mad, sad, upset, confused," when he couldn't get a job after last season. But he downplayed his age on the oldest team in NBA history, saying "35, I'm young around here." The Knicks have five older players. ... The Sixers, who lost to Miami on Saturday, fell to 2-11 on the second night of back-to-back games.
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