New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony (7) and Steve Novak celebrate after Anthony tied the NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in the final seconds of regulation, Sunday, April 8, 2012, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Knicks won 100-99 in overtime. (AP)
Knicks Jump up a Spot As Melo's 3-Pointer Seals Win
Carmelo Anthony perhaps had his best game as a Knick since coming to the team, scoring a season-high 43 points on Sunday afternoon to lead New York to a 100-99 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The victory lifted the Knicks to the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, who were blown out in Boston.
With Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin out for the season, Anthony has made it known that it would be up to him carry this team. His 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds sealed the victory in overtime over a Bulls team the Knicks could end up facing in the first round of the playoffs.
Rockets Blast Upwards In Western Conference
Just a week ago Houston was sitting in the eighth and final spot of the Western Conference playoff race.
Playoff ranks have not been decided with over two weeks to go, but the Rockets must be feeling good about themselves, sitting in the sixth spot, ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.
The Rockets have won seven of their last 10 games, including their last three games on the road. It started last Monday night with a win over Chicago.
The Rockets have been aided by the recent shaky play in Dallas and Denver. The Mavs have lost three of their last four, while the Nuggets have dropped two of their last three.
NBA: Drama in Orlando, Barea Returns and More
Pau Gasol on Andrew Bynum: “I don't know what goes on all the time in his mind”
Andrew Bynum's on-court antics have somehow hurt instead of helped the Los Angeles Lakers during the last few weeks.
As the Lakers try to hold off the Clipper from overtaking their Pacific Division lead, Pau Gasol would like to have his center on the court instead of in the locker room after being ejected from the game, as was the case during Friday night's loss to Houston.
The Lakers were down 80-75 when Bynum picked up a technical foul after Samuel Dalembert fouled him.
Bynum wasn't too content with being fouled and his teammates held him back from going after Dalembert. Then with just barely a minute gone in the fourth, Bynum scored on a hook shot, had some words with the Rockets bench and was sent to the showers early with another technical foul.
“It would be good to have him on the floor and help us win games," Gasol told reporters. "He’s just got to find a way to make sure he can help the team any way he can. And to do that, he has to stay in the game. He’s a great guy. He’s a good person and he’s got a great heart. But I’m not him, I’m not inside him, and I don’t know what goes on all the time in his mind."
The Lakers suffered their second straight loss Saturday night at Phoenix.
Najera Out for Season
Charlotte's Eduardo Najera had surgery to repair the fractured frontal bone in his forehead Saturday and is expected to miss the remainder of the season for the Bobcats, the team said in a statement.
Najera, who is in the last year of his contract, was at the receiving end of an accidental elbow shot from Milwaukee's Jon Brockman during the second quarter of Friday night's game. He left the game and had a CT scan, which revealed the bone fracture.
The 36-year-old veteran has averaged just 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 22 games this season.
Bucks Get Delfino Back, Return to .500 Mark
Carlos Delfino returned his customary role as Milwaukee's starting small forward Saturday night after missing his last six games because of a sore right groin.
Delfino saw 21 minutes of action against Portland, scoring only three points on 1 of 4 shooting from the floor as Milwaukee won its fourth straight and six of its last eight games to inch closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The win returned the Bucks to .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 back on Jan. 3.
The Bucks are a game behind Philadelphia for the eighth and final spot in the East. They also meet the New York Knicks at home Wednesday. The Knicks and the Sixers have the same record but the Knicks are ahead of them because of head-to-head record. The Bucks own a pair of wins over the Knicks this season but lost the last meeting between both teams March 26 in New York.
But first they will have to take care of business tonight against Oklahoma City, losers of three straight.
Villanueva Leads the DR’s B-Ball Dream
Garcia's Concussion Keeps Him Out
Sacramento held out Francisco Garcia from the lineup Sunday night against Houston after Garcia suffered a concussion during Saturday night's game at Los Angeles against the Clippers.
Garcia went for a loose ball but was hit in the head by Bobby Simmons and left in third quarter.
Adry Torres, who has covered MLB, NFL, NBA and NCAA basketball games and related events, is a regular contributor to Fox News Latino. He can be reached at elpiloto137@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @adrytorresnyc
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