Carmelo returns, but Knicks fall to Magic

Carmelo Anthony had more everything than any other Knick in their 102-93 loss to the Orlando Magic Monday. More playing time (39:14), more points (33), more assists (five), more free throws (14-for-16).

But, also, more missed field goals (18; he made nine); more missed three-pointers (seven; he made one), more turnovers (five). And more hurts.

The right ankle sprain that kept him out of Saturday's game in Oklahoma City "was feeling good," Anthony said, until he twisted it again with two minutes to play when he stepped on Ryan Anderson's foot.

But his left wrist, also sprained Thursday in Memphis, affected his ability "to control the ball," he said. "I was really shooting with one hand. A lot of my shots were long, flat."

So the early-season story line continues: As Anthony limps (figuratively or otherwise), so limp the Knicks, now 6-7 and in a three-game skid.

"It's not like he's looking around to pass it," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We just have guys who aren't being aggressive. We're in a little bit of a quandary offensively. We just don't have a lot of confidence out there. You have Melo out there and taking most of the shots, and it should be that way."

Especially Monday, in the annual Martin Luther King Day matinee, the Knicks needed scoring from Anthony after Amar'e Stoudemire picked up early fouls, played only nine minutes of the first half and sat for all but 38 seconds of the third quarter.

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Stoudemire played just under 22 minutes, scored 10 points and had only two rebounds. "Basically my fault," he said. "I'm taking the blame for this loss. I was ready to rock, but I was in foul trouble. In the fourth quarter I was telling myself, 'They can't keep a good man down.' "

In the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, Stoudemire scored eight points, the last on a soaring dunk with 7:42 left, nudging the Knicks ahead 85-83. When Dwight Howard (10 rebounds, eight points and, with six shots in 38 minutes, bottled up by the Knicks) picked up his fifth foul a minute later, there were plenty of positive vibes among the Garden's usual sellout crowd of 19,763.

But Landry Fields sailed a three-point try wide and, after Orlando's Jameer Nelson converted one of two free throws, Anthony lost the handle while driving the lane. Then back-to-back three-pointers gave Orlando (9-3) the lead for good at 90-85. One of the threes was banked in by Hedo Turkoglu and the other swished from the right corner by Anderson.

That was Anderson's last of seven three-pointers (in 13 attempts). He entered the game with a 17.2 scoring average, but "when you have a guy like Ryan Anderson scoring 30 points," Anthony said, "there's no way you're going to beat them."

With Howard double-teamed, Orlando was 17-for-35 on three-pointers, tying the most threes ever given up by the Knicks.

The Knicks led virtually the entire first half and all but 29 seconds of the third quarter, and trailed 94-91 with three minutes left. But Fields, Toney Douglas and Anthony missed three-point tries and, down 96-91 with 1:30 left, Anthony's inbounds pass was intercepted by Turkoglu to set up a fast-break layup by J.J. Redick (21 points).

Anderson, by the way, played with a bad cold. Just to show that Anthony wasn't the only one hurting.