Knicks 114, Celtics 88: Carmelo Anthony collected 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals as host New York routed Boston for its third straight victory.

Reserves J.R. Smith and Jeremy Tyler added 17 points apiece for the Knicks, who avenged a pair of losses to Boston earlier this season. Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 16 points off the bench and Tyson Chandler tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Jeff Green had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead the Celtics, who have lost three straight and 18 of 21 to drop a season-high 17 games below .500. Kris Humphries and Chris Johnson each added 12 points off the bench.

The Knicks never trailed, taking control when Anthony scored eight points during a 15-0 spurt in the first quarter. New York also put together an 11-0 burst in the second quarter as it opened a 63-37 halftime lead, shooting 61.5 percent from the field in the first half.

Another 11-0 run early in the third quarter pushed the margin to 35 and the Knicks coasted the rest of the way. New York led 86-59 after three quarters and didn't let the margin slip below 19 despite giving its starters the fourth quarter off.

GAME NOTEBOOK: New York G Iman Shumpert (shoulder) left in the first quarter and F Kenyon Martin (ankle) departed in the second, and neither returned for the second half. … Knicks G Beno Udrih did not play, and the team reported at halftime that he was unavailable because of illness. … The Celtics, who host Philadelphia on Wednesday, have lost the first game of their last seven back-to-back sets and are 2-11 overall on the front end when playing on consecutive days.