On a night when he joined the NBA's 20,000-point club, Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:23 remaining, and the Knicks edged the Charlotte Hornets 96-93 on Sunday night.
Al Jefferson had 21 points and Gary Neal added 17 points off the bench for the Hornets (1-2), who lost their second straight.
Charlotte's guard Michael Kidd-Gilchrist fell awkwardly late in the first quarter and did not return to the game. According to the Hornet's spokesman, Kidd-Gilchrist was taken to a New York City area hospital for a CT scan that revealed he suffered a rib contusion.
Amar'e Stoudemire had 17 points off the bench for the Knicks (2-1), who won their second straight. Iman Shumpert added 15 points.
With 2:49 remaining in the fourth quarter after Charlotte's Kemba Walker scored on a reverse lay-up to extend the Hornets' lead to 93-90. After a turnover by Lance Stephenson, Knicks backup point guard Pablo Prigioni found an open Shumpert, who hit a 3-pointer with 2:06 left, to even the game 93-all.
Walker then missed a layup with 1:42, setting up Anthony's 15-foot jumper gave the Knicks the lead for good, 95-93.
Walker, the New York city product who had 14 points, had a chance to tie the game with three seconds left in the game but missed on a contested pull up jumper. Anthony then sealed New York's win with a free throw that extended the lead, 96-93.
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Anthony, a seven-time All-Star, who started off the night with 19,997 points, notched his 19,999th point after hitting a basket in the opening seconds of the game. With 7:42 remaining in the opening quarter, point guard Shane Larkin found an open Anthony on the wing for a 3-pointer, becoming the 40th player in league history to score over 20,000 points in their careers.
