Knicks hold off Grizzlies for 6th straight win

[March 28, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) -- J.R. Smith scored 35 points, his second straight 30-point game, and the New York Knicks withstood a furious rally to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-101 on Wednesday night.

Carmelo Anthony added 22 points and Iman Shumpert had 16 as the Knicks tied a season high with their sixth straight win.

Smith scored 32 points against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

After trailing by as many as 30 points early in the second half, the Grizzlies cut their deficit to 103-99 on Tony Allen's two free throws with 33 seconds left.

However, they got no closer as Raymond Felton, Smith and Anthony scored the game's next five points at the free throw line.

With the Knicks leading 71-41 early in the second half, the Grizzlies went on a 29-13 run and cut their deficit to 84-70 on Jerryd Bayless' 3-pointer with 32 seconds left in the third quarter.

Two free throws by Smith gave the Knicks an 86-70 lead heading into the fourth.

After Smith opened the final quarter with a three-point play, the Grizzlies pulled within 89-79 with a 9-0 run, as Bayless scored all nine points.

Quincy Pondexter's jumper with 1:38 remaining cut the lead to five, but Jason Kidd hit a 3-pointer with 1:16 left to stall the comeback.

Shumpert scored 13 of the Knicks' first 15 points. His 3-pointer with 8:13 left in the first quarter broke a 7-all tie and the Knicks led the rest of the game.

New York ended the first quarter on a 30-18 run, shooting 72.2 percent from the field (13-for-18) for the period to take a 37-25 lead. They increased their lead to 30 points in the second quarter, 69-39, on another 3-pointer by Shumpert with just 9 seconds left before settling for a 69-41 halftime lead.

Shumpert connected on all six of his field goal attempts in the first half, including 4 of 4 on 3-pointers, while the Knicks shot 61 percent overall, including 11 of 21 (52 percent) from 3-point range.

Mike Conley led Memphis with 26 points and Bayless finished with 24. Allen had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Marc Gasol, who missed the previous two games with an abdominal tear, finished with 13 points.

NOTES: The Knicks also won six straight to open the season . Tyson Chandler missed his eighth straight game for the Knicks with a bulging disk . The Knicks' 69 points at halftime were their highest total this season. They scored 68 against the Lakers in a 116-107 win on Dec. 3 . Memphis has lost five straight road games for the first time since Nov. 15 to Dec. 6, 2010 . Marcus Camby was ejected from the game after picking up two technical fouls with 8:12 left in the third quarter.

[Associated Press]

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