THE FACT: The Knicks have won eight of the last 10 games against the 76ers. THE LEAD: Amar'e Stoudemire played one of his best all-around games of the season with 21 points and five rebounds while Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points in the New York Knicks' 102-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. J.R. Smith provided a major spark with 14 points, 11 of which came in a stellar second quarter. There was some question whether Smith would even play considering he had been benched for last Thursday's game against the Miami Heat. Smith had been fined $50,000 by the NBA for attempting to untie players' shoelaces in consecutive games. Smith sat out the whole first quarter and wound up playing 27:05. Andrea Bargnani also had 10 points for the surging Knicks, who improved to 14-22 and won their fourth game in a row. QUOTABLE: "There's a lot of people in the world who want our jobs and we can't take it for granted. It can be taken away just that fast. I'm still trying to find myself, trying to find the right way to be a professional. It's a short span we get to play this game and I can't be selfish with it, got to think team first." -- Smith, on being bench and fined $50,000 by the league TURNING POINT: The numbers stand out in big bold type. The Knicks outscored the Sixers 32-12 in the second quarter, turning an eight-point deficit into a 12-point lead. HOT: Stoudemire knocked down his first eight shots and ended up 8-for-10. Smith hit five of his eight shots and looked extremely sharp. NOT: Turner was 4-for-11 and committed six turnovers against just one assist. GOOD MOVE: Woodson could have held Smith out again, but he chose to give him minutes and it paid off in a big way. BAD MOVE: Shot selection was very questionable at times for the Sixers. They often waited way too long to get into their offensive sets and the result was a rushed shot. NOTABLE: Tyson Chandler was out for the third consecutive game because of an upper respiratory infection. Guard Beno Udrih was also out with a left knee injury. Pablo Prigioni (right toe) and Metta World Peace . The Knicks are 5-2 when Anthony scores below 20 points. ... Carter-Williams had seven assists and seven rebounds, marking the fifth time he has done that this season. ... The Sixers are 0-4 when one of their players fails to reach the 20-point plateau. ... The Sixers have lost six of their last seven games at home...Stoudemire recorded his third 20-point game of the season...New York is holding opponents to 87.3 ppg during its win streak...The Sixers have allowed 100 points in 33 of 37 games this season and have lost six of its last seven home games. QUOTABLE III: "He was a force." -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson, on Stoudemire
