Knicks hold off Pelicans, end16-game losing streak

NEW YORK – Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks walked off the court, and for the first time in weeks it wasn’t with heads hanging.

The sound of boos that had provided the audio at Madison Square Garden was replaced by the voice of James Brown singing “I feel good!”

The Knicks finally got to feel that way again.

New York snapped its 16-game losing streak Monday, getting 24 points and nine rebounds from Anthony to beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, 99-92.

Jose Calderon made his biggest basket of a difficult first season in New York, a three-pointer with 32 seconds left that gave the Knicks a four-point lead. That was enough to help them hold on for their first victory since Dec. 12 and end the longest single-season skid in franchise history.

“It’s tough, man. It’s a tough situation. We’re human, so we’re going to feel it,” Anthony said. “It’s definitely emotional when you’re losing games like that, but we’re sticking with it.”

Langston Galloway added 21 points for the Knicks, who improved the NBA’s worst record to 6-36 by ending a 12-game home losing streak.

In Cleveland, LeBron James scored 26 points and J.R. Smith added 20 as the Cavs, remodeled by two trades in recent weeks, entered a favorable portion of their schedule with their third straight win – a 108-94 romp over the Chicago Bulls.

Back home after salvaging a drama-filled trip out West with two wins in Los Angeles, the Cavs had little trouble with the Central Division-leading Bulls. Cleveland opened a 25-point lead in the third quarter and handed Chicago its fourth loss in five games.

Jimmy Butler scored 20 and Derrick Rose 18 for the Bulls, who played their third game in a row without starting center Joakim Noah (sprained ankle). Chicago has dropped six of eight, and coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t like what he’s seen from his team lately.

“We’ve got to decide when enough is enough,” a disgusted Thibodeau said. “We’ve got to get better. It’s really that simple. The way we’re playing is not acceptable, so we have to change it.”

Smith made six three-pointers, Kyrie Irving scored 18 with 12 assists and Kevin Love added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who have temporarily quieted talk that they’re not NBA title contenders and first-year coach David Blatt is in trouble. Cleveland can improve its record with three more home games this week and nine of its next 12 in Quicken Loans Arena.

In Houston, James Harden scored a season-high 45 points, including 18 in the third quarter, and the Rockets led from start to finish in a 110-98 win over the Indiana Pacers.

“I think the way we came out, that’s the way we should come out every single game,” Harden said. “We focused on defense and offensively making it easy for each other. They didn’t gain any ground on us because we kept being consistent with what we did.”   (AP)