NEW YORK (AP) — The shots were falling. The crowd was roaring. Everything was set up for this to be Carmelo Anthony’s night.
Then he sat down to start the fourth quarter, and the Knicks had ruined those hopes by the time he got back up.
Mitchell Robinson made all 11 shots and had 22 points, Julius Randle added 22 points and 13 rebounds, and New York spoiled Anthony’s strong return to Madison Square Garden by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 117-93 on Wednesday for its season-high third straight victory.
Anthony scored 26 points, his most since returning to the NBA in November after a year absence, and was cheered before and during the game at the arena where he played 6 1/2 seasons.