New York, NY – Carmelo Anthony showed no ill effects in his return, scoring 34 points, and the New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets, 112-106, at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony missed the previous two games with a lacerated middle finger on his left hand.
"As the game went on, I started feeling more comfortable," Anthony said.
Jason Kidd finished with 17 points and seven assists for the Knicks, who improved to 8-0 at home this season. It's their best start as host since opening the 1992-93 campaign with nine straight wins.
Tyson Chandler had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for New York.
Ty Lawson led six Denver players in double figures with 23 points to go along with six assists and four rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 21 points and nine boards, while Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer supplied 15 points apiece.
"We have to learn how to finish games better," Gallinari said.
The Nuggets fell to 1-2 on their five-game road trip and have dropped five of seven overall.
Brewer opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets to put Denver up 88-80, but the Knicks rallied and led 104-95 when J.R. Smith hit a 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining.
After the Nuggets closed to within four on an Andre Miller layup with less than a minute to play, Anthony missed a potential game-sealing 3-pointer on the next New York possession.
Lawson secured the rebound but turned the ball over and fouled Kidd, who made two free throws with 20.1 seconds left to cement the win.
New York and Denver each led by at least seven points in a back-and-forth first half that ended with the Knicks holding a 61-58 advantage.
Game Notes
Smith totaled 15 points and nine rebounds ...Miller and Kenneth Faried each had 10 points for Denver ... The Nuggets shot 55.6 percent from the floor, while New York won despite converting 43 percent of its shots.
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