Carmelo Anthony scored the game-winning three-pointer with 8.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the New York Knicks to a 100-99 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Anthony finished with a season-high 43 points for the Knicks, who blew a 21-point first-quarter lead and then had to rally from a 10-point deficit late in the game at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks’ victory spoiled the return of Bulls star Derrick Rose, who finished with 29 points after missing a dozen games with a sore groin.
Photo: Reuters
Anthony shot 16-of-31 from the field and made four-of-five free throws. He drained a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Rose had a chance to win it for the Bulls, but his shot at the buzzer hit the rim and stayed out.
Iman Shumpert finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Tyson Chandler had 16 rebounds for New York, who have won two games in a row.
Carlos Boozer had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls, who have lost three of their last four games.
Rose had not played since March 12, when Chicago faced the same Knicks. He struggled at times in his return, shooting just eight-of-26 from the field. He also had eight turnovers.
The Knicks were playing without injured starter Jeremy Lin, who had surgery on Monday last week to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.
Lin said before the game that his recovery was going well and he doesn’t expect to return sooner than the six weeks the club announced immediately following the operation.
Lin also said he hopes to begin running next week.
HEAT 98, PISTONS 75
In Miami, LeBron James scored 26 points, while Chris Bosh finished with 22 points and nine rebounds as Miami steadily pulled away to beat Detroit.
James Jones scored 18 on six-for-eight shooting from three-point range for Miami, who played without Dwyane Wade for the 11th time this season. Wade sat out with a sore right ankle, which the team said was caused by an awkward landing on a dunk attempt against Memphis on Friday night.
Detroit rookie Brandon Knight scored 16 for the Pistons.
Miami (40-15) pulled within two games of Chicago (43-14) for the best record in the East.
CELTICS 103, 76ERS 79
In Boston, Kevin Garnett scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo dished out double-digit assists for his 17th consecutive game, finishing with 15 to help lead Boston over Philadelphia.
Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley each added 18 points, while Paul Pierce had 17 as the Celtics won for the seventh time in nine games, improving their Atlantic Division lead to three games over both the 76ers and the Knicks.
Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and Andre Iguodala added 13 for the 76ers, who have dropped 10 of 14 to fall out of first place and are now competing for the final playoff spot in the East.
They are tied with the Knicks for seventh place, one game ahead of Milwaukee.
NETS 122, CAVALIERS 117, OT
In Newark, New Jersey, Gerald Green scored a season-high 32 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 36.7 seconds left in regulation and a high-flying dunk in overtime, leading New Jersey to a win over Cleveland.
Anthony Morrow scored 24 points, Deron Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, while Kris Humphries added 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Nets won a season-best third straight at home.
New Jersey also finished with their highest scoring total of the season.
Antawn Jamison scored a season-high-tying 34 points, Lester Hudson had 26 and Alonzo Gee added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games.
In other NBA games, it was:
‧ Spurs 114, Jazz 104
‧ Thunder 91, Raptors 75
‧ Rockets 104, Kings 87
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
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