CLEVELAND // On a night of celebration, there were two surprising, strange sights: LeBron James back on Cleveland’s bench. The Knicks back in the NBA playoff chase.
Carmelo Anthony shook off a congested chest and a horrid shooting start to score 26 points, leading New York to its third straight victory, 107-97 over Cleveland on a Saturday when James was briefly reunited with the Cavaliers.
Amare Stoudemire added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, whose winning streak began after a seven-game slide and amid reports Phil Jackson may accept a job in New York’s front office.
Anthony missed his first six shots, but found his touch in time to help the Knicks in their late-season run at the playoffs. J.R. Smith scored 17 and Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 11 boards for New York, which is 3 games out of the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.
“You can see something different over the last couple of games,” Anthony said. “It seems like everyone has a sense of urgency right now. We’re playing for something. We control our own destiny. We want to win as many games as we can down the stretch.”
Kyrie Irving had 30 points, eight assists and eight rebounds for the Cavs, who retired center Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ No. 11 jersey at halftime. Spencer Hawes had 21 points for Cleveland, which dropped to 0-4 in March.
The Knicks were as good as done just a few days ago.
But with New York fans ready to write them off again, and coach Mike Woodson’s future looking shakier than ever, the Knicks have responded with wins over Minnesota, Utah and Cleveland. There’s still plenty of work to do, and the Knicks will likely need some help, but a dreadful season to this point has some hope.
“There’s no room for error,” Woodson said. “We have to play each possession like it’s our last possession. The mental approach is a little different now. It’s been a tough season for all of us. Now, they’re playing for something.”
At halftime, they retired Ilgauskas’ jersey during a poignant ceremony. The big man overcame serious foot injuries early in his career to become the club’s career leader in rebounds, games played and blocked shots.
Ilgauskas thanked Cleveland fans during the ceremony, which included James sitting again on Cleveland’s sideline.
James, who famously left Cleveland as a free agent in 2010, kept a low profile as Ilgauskas’ jersey was raised to the rafters, but afterward he greeted his close friend and then posed for photos on the floor with former teammates Delonte West and Daniel “Boobie” Gibson.
JAZZ 104, 76ERS 92
PHILADELPHIA // Gordon Hayward scored 22 points, Alec Burks added 19 and Utah sent Philadelphia to its 16th consecutive loss.
Derrick Favors contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds, Enes Kanter had 13 points and 10 boards, and Diante Garrett scored 11 points for the Jazz (22-41), who ended a five-game losing streak and completed a six-game road trip at 1-5.
GRIZZLIES 111, BOBCATS 89
MEMPHIS, Tennessee // Mike Conley scored 20 points, Zach Randolph added 16 and Memphis turned up the offense in the second half to beat Charlotte.
Marc Gasol added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Kosta Koufos had 11 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 boards.
Al Jefferson scored 17 for Charlotte, shooting just 7 of 17 from the field. Chris Douglas-Roberts finished with 15 points, his fourth straight game in double figures, but Kemba Walker had just 11 and 3-of-13 shooting.
SPURS 121, MAGIC 112
SAN ANTONIO // Tony Parker scored 30 points, Manu Ginobili added 24 and San Antonio overcame a lethargic performance to beat Orlando.
Kawhi Leonard added 17 points, Tiago Splitter scored 14, Danny Green 12 and Tim Duncan had 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs (46-16) extended their winning streak to six games.
Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Arron Afflalo had 17 points for Orlando (19-45). Maurice Harkless added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who were swept in the season series.
WIZARDS 114, BUCKS 107
MILWAUKEE // Bradley Beal scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, helping Washington avoid blowing a 28-point lead and beat Milwaukee.
Washington opened a 71-43 lead in the second quarter, but the Bucks cut the deficit to 104-101 on a pair of free throws by Ersan Ilyasova with 2:13 to go.
Beal then scored on a driving layup and hit a baseline 3-pointer to give the Wizards a 109-101 lead with 2:01 left. Washington won for the eighth time in nine games.
CLIPPERS 109, HAWKS 108
LOS ANGELES // Blake Griffin had 27 points and eight rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points, including a go-ahead layup in the final minute, and Los Angeles beat Atlanta for its season-high seventh straight victory.
The Pacific Division-leading Clippers got 13 points and 12 rebounds from DeAndre Jordan, and 17 points from Matt Barnes on the eve of his 34th birthday. Los Angeles shot 53.2 percent from the field, improving to 22-1 when shooting 50 percent or better.
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