NEW YORK – Carmelo Anthony scored 35 points, J.R. Smith hit the tiebreaking shot with 1:10 left, and the New York Knicks overcame Stephen Curry’s NBA season-high 54 points to beat the Golden State Warriors 109-105 on Wednesday night.
Curry was 18 of 28 from the field, finishing one shy of the NBA record with 11 3-pointers, in a performance that had the crowd hanging on his every shot. But the Knicks finally stopped him with 1:28 to play when Raymond Felton blocked his shot with the score tied 105-105.
That led to a jumper by Smith, who finished with 26 points. Anthony followed with another basket and the Knicks hung on to spoil former New York star and Warriors coach Mark Jackson’s homecoming.
Curry finished with seven assists and six rebounds while passing his previous career high of 42 points, and Kevin Durant’s 52-point performance that had been the best in the NBA this season.
But he had little help without All-Star forward David Lee, who was suspended one game for his role in an altercation Tuesday night in Indiana.
Tyson Chandler had 16 points and a career-best 28 rebounds for the Knicks, who won their second straight after a season-high, four-game losing streak.
Amare Stoudemire had 14 points and Anthony added eight assists on the day the Knicks learned they could be without reserve forward Rasheed Wallace for the rest of the season because he needs surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot.
Strutting all over the court whenever one of his 3s swished easily through the nets, Curry easily blew past the 38 points he scored Tuesday in Indiana, which had been his best of the season. That was spoiled when he was fined $35,000 for his role in the skirmish, which was essentially getting thrown to the ground by Roy Hibbert when he tried to intervene.
This performance — the most points by an NBA player in a loss since Kobe Bryant had 58 in a defeat to Charlotte on Dec. 29, 2006 — was spoiled along with Jackson’s trip back to his old home because of a few mistakes down the stretch.
Curry threw away a pass on the break with about three minutes left, and Jarrett Jack was called for a travel following Smith’s go-ahead basket.
Plus, Klay Thompson finished 3 of 13 from the field, missing two straight from deep in the final minute.
Jackson, who grew up in Brooklyn and starred at St. John’s before being drafted by the Knicks in 1987, didn’t get a chance to coach here last season as an NBA rookie on the bench because of the lockout. He brought his wife, Desiree, to a road game for the first time this season, had his mother in the stands, and got a chance to see people he remembered from playing here years earlier.
He said he hadn’t gotten to look ahead much to the game because of the schedule, but clearly enjoyed being back in Madison Square Garden once the day did arrive.
“This is a special place and it was part of my dreams as a kid,” he said.
His night turned into Curry’s, fans cheering even before the ball left his hand in the second half.
The Knicks, who hadn’t played since Sunday, looked ready to blow the Warriors out early. An 11-2 run gave them a 25-11 lead late in the first quarter, which the Warriors trimmed to 27-18 at the end of the period before surging ahead behind Curry.
Thunder 119, Hornets 74
In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook scored 29 points, Kevin Durant recorded his third career triple-double and the Thunder finished a perfect three-game homestand by routing short-handed New Orleans.
Suns 105, Spurs 101 (OT)
In San Antonio, Jermaine O’Neal had 22 points and 13 rebounds, Wesley Johnson hit a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and Phoenix beat the Spurs to end San Antonio’s 18-game winning streak.
Grizzlies 90, Mavericks 84
In Memphis, Zach Randolph scored 22 points and Marc Gasol added 21 as the Grizzlies matched their largest comeback in franchise history, rallying to from 25 down beat Dallas.
Cavaliers 103, Raptors 92
In Cleveland, rookie Dion Waiters scored 23 points, Shaun Livingston added 15 and the Cavaliers overcame a horrendous start, while playing without injured All-Star Kyrie Irving for the second straight game, to beat Toronto.
Pistons 96, Wizards 95
In Washington, Brandon Knight returned from a right knee injury to score a career-high 32 points, Greg Monroe added 26 points and 11 rebounds and Detroit escaped with a victory over the Wizards.
Kings 125, Magic 101
In Orlando, John Salmons had 21 points to lead six players in double-figures and hot-shooting Sacramento cruised past the Magic.
Bucks 110, Rockets 107
In Houston, Monta Ellis sank an off-balance 3-pointer just before the final buzzer to give Milwaukee a victory over the Rockets.
Hawks 102, Jazz 91
In Salt Lake City, Al Horford scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Josh Smith added 24 points and 14 rebounds to help Atlanta hold off a fourth-quarter rally by Utah.
Nuggets 111, Trail Blazers 109
In Portland, Andre Miller scored the go-ahead layup with 24.9 seconds left against his former team and Denver held off the Trail Blazers.
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