Knicks 100, 76ers 84: Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points and host New York led nearly the entire way in cruising past Philadelphia.
J.R. Smith scored 20 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, to break the game open for the Knicks.
Jason Kidd added 12 points, six assists and three steals as New York improved to 2-0 and exploited an offensively challenged Sixers lineup hurt by an ankle injury to shooting guard Jason Richardson in the opening two minutes.
Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and buried 5 of 6 3-point attempts and Thaddeus Young added 16 points for Philadelphia, which had three days off following its season-opening victory over Denver.
Sparked by its bench, New York used an early spurt in the second quarter to build the lead to double digits and take a 57-44 into halftime. The Sixers shaved a 17-point deficit to 75-66 after three quarters, but Smith opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 15.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Richardson, one of the team’s many offseason acquisitions, was knocked out of the game with 10:13 left in the first quarter when he suffered a left ankle sprain after appearing to step on the foot of a cameraman. … Two nights after burying 19 3-pointers against Miami, the Knicks were 11 of 27 from behind the arc. … Evan Turner had 11 points and a game-high 11 boards for the Sixers, who will host New York in a rematch on Monday.
