Carmelo Anthony returned from a two-game injury absence and scored 25 points to lead the New York Knicks to a convincing 113-86 NBA victory over Detroit.
Anthony, who had been sidelined by a sprained right ankle as well as injuries to his left wrist and right thumb, appeared energised after five days of rest.
He enjoyed his best shooting night of the lockout-shortened season, making 9-of-14 shots from the field and lead all scorers in the contest.
The Knicks halted a three-game losing streak and their 60 per cent shooting from the field marked the first time this season they shot better than 50 per cent.
Anthony admitted that the Knicks’ recent struggles had prompted him to come back as quickly as he could, despite the painful ankle injury.
“If we were winning, I would try to take my time, but right now, I want to try to push it and see what we can do,” Anthony said.
“I think these four, five days I had off helped me out a lot. My thumb, my wrist calmed down. My ankle is worse than I thought it was and playing for that week on it didn’t help at all.”