Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
Anthony, who sat out Saturday's game at Charlotte to rest his ailing left knee, added 10 rebounds in the Knicks' fourth win in five outings since they lost a franchise-worst 16 in a row from Dec. 14-Jan. 15.
While Anthony was back on the court, the Thunder played without reigning league MVP Kevin Durant for a second straight contest due to a sprained left toe.
Russell Westbrook did all he could to offset Durant's absence by pouring in 40 points, which still wasn't enough to prevent Oklahoma City from a potentially costly loss to one of the NBA's bottom-feeding teams.
Langston Galloway chipped in 18 points for New York, while former Thunder forward Lance Thomas put up a season-best 17 against the team that traded him to the Knicks earlier this month.
[SportsNetwork.com]
