NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony was really sharp when he was in, and the New York Knicks were even better after he went out. Good enough to be mistaken for one of the NBAs best. "I thought we were playing against the Spurs," Denver guard Ty Lawson said. "They know they pass to one side, kick, kick, and it opens 3s. It was just a tough night for us." Anthony scored 31 points in three quarters, then watched from the bench as the Knicks ran away from his old team in the fourth for a 117-90 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night. J.R. Smith added 10 of his 13 points in the fourth. He also threw the pass of the game during the decisive spurt when he went behind the back to Jeremy Tyler, who scored while being fouled. Amare Stoudemire finished with 17 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Tyler had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks shot 56.5 per cent from the field, one of their best performances of the season. "Everybody played their part tonight," Anthony said. "It was a great team win and we want to build off that." The Knicks were 13 of 20 for 34 points in the final quarter and shot 64 per cent while scoring 67 points in the second half. It was a surprisingly easy victory during a difficult season for the Knicks, who figured they would be competing for championships by now when they paid a heavy price to acquire Anthony from the Nuggets three years ago this month. Instead, they are only 20-30, currently outside the playoff picture and giving Denver hope that the first-round pick the Knicks still owe them this summer from that Anthony deal could be in the lottery. Lawson scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who had their two-game winning streak stopped and fell back to .500 at 24-24. They committed 24 turnovers that led to 27 points. The Knicks latest slump had sparked renewed reports that coach Mike Woodsons job could be in jeopardy, and he spent most of his pregame news conference repeating his confidence in himself and his team. He still believes the Knicks can be a playoff team, a thought only imaginable because they reside in the Eastern Conference. But they showed Friday how effective they can be when they get balanced scoring beyond Anthony, which has happened infrequently this season, and by the end of the night Woodson was talking about how his Knicks would be difficult for powerful Oklahoma City to handle on Sunday. Then again, they lost to the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks this week, so nothing is certain. "You know what, you cant change the past," centre Tyson Chandler said when asked if he was frustrated that the Knicks couldnt play like this more often. "So I would say more so that it gives us the opportunity to rally, because we see what its going take for us to win. Weve just got to put more nights like this together." Leading by seven in the third quarter, New York began to open a gap when Anthony made a jumper, Chandler scored and Anthony nailed a 3-pointer to make it 62-48 with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the period. Tim Hardaway Jr. made a 3-pointer and Anthony converted a three-point play for a quick six points in the final minute as the lead grew to 83-66. Smith had three straight baskets in the fourth, the latter two from behind the arc, to push the lead to 102-77. The Knicks helped hand the Nuggets a 26-20 lead after one, committing eight turnovers that led to 14 points. But the much-maligned Raymond Felton scored all of his nine points in the second, and New York scored the final nine points of the period for a 50-44 halftime lead. "I think at the end of the second quarter, when it was 44-44, we got five turnovers in a row and couldnt get a shot up and that kind of pushed their lead," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried said. "They got the lead and after that I guess it was curtains." Felton also had eight assists. NOTES: The Knicks visit to Oklahoma City for a nationally televised matchup features Kevin Durant and Anthony, the NBAs top scorers. Anthony missed the Thunders Christmas Day rout of the Knicks with a sprained ankle. ... The Knicks shot a season-high 57.1 per cent against Brooklyn on Dec. 5. Benjamin Mendy France Jersey .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks take aim at their longest winning streak of the season on Sunday when they host the Calgary Flames in a battle at the United Center. Hugo Lloris Jersey . UEFA said Wednesday that the champions of England and France only have to include five home-trained players in their 21-man squads next season instead of the expected eight. Only one of the five players needs to be trained by the club itself. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/djib...rance-jersey/.J. -- The NHL reduced its penalty against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday for signing Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010. Florian Thauvin Jersey . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. Samuel Umtiti France Jersey .com) - Quarterback Cardale Jones will return to Ohio State next season.Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Dwight Howard had 19 of his 23 points in the second quarter and pulled down 13 rebounds as the Houston Rockets blew out the Miami Heat 115-79 on Saturday night. Houston outscored Miami 71-39 in the second and third quarters to turn the game into a rout. James Harden posted 28 points and five rebounds for the Rockets, who had dropped five of their last eight games coming in. As bad as we were last night, we moved the ball pretty well tonight, said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh each netted 15 points to lead Miami, which has dropped four in a row -- three since Bosh returned from his ankle injury. Were not trying to figure things out, were just trying to win a game, said Bosh. Just go out and get the job done. Do better, however possible. Miami led 27-23 following a quarter of play, but the Rockets began the second on a 15-2 rrun to seize control.dddddddddddd Howard netted 10 points during the surge, including a hook to cap it for a 38-29 Houston advantage. Wade hit a floater to get Miami within 51-49 before Houston ripped off the final 10 points of the half. Harden put in the final four points of the second to help Houston take a 61-49 margin into the break. The Rockets began the third on an 18-4 swing to put the game away. Harden sunk a pair of foul shots to finish off the burst and stake Houston to a 79-53 cushion. Houston was up 94-60 after three and cruised to the easy win over the final 12 minutes. Game Notes Houston has won three of the last four games in the series after dropping seven straight ... The Rockets scored 25 points off 22 Miami turnovers ... Houston held a 46-33 rebounding, 27-4 fastbreak and 54-40 points in the paint advantage. ' ' '