NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony was really sharp when he was in, and the New York Knicks were even better after he went out. Good enough to be mistaken for one of the NBAs best. "I thought we were playing against the Spurs," Denver guard Ty Lawson said. "They know they pass to one side, kick, kick, and it opens 3s. It was just a tough night for us." Anthony scored 31 points in three quarters, then watched from the bench as the Knicks ran away from his old team in the fourth for a 117-90 victory over the Nuggets on Friday night. J.R. Smith added 10 of his 13 points in the fourth. He also threw the pass of the game during the decisive spurt when he went behind the back to Jeremy Tyler, who scored while being fouled. Amare Stoudemire finished with 17 points for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Tyler had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks shot 56.5 per cent from the field, one of their best performances of the season. "Everybody played their part tonight," Anthony said. "It was a great team win and we want to build off that." The Knicks were 13 of 20 for 34 points in the final quarter and shot 64 per cent while scoring 67 points in the second half. It was a surprisingly easy victory during a difficult season for the Knicks, who figured they would be competing for championships by now when they paid a heavy price to acquire Anthony from the Nuggets three years ago this month. Instead, they are only 20-30, currently outside the playoff picture and giving Denver hope that the first-round pick the Knicks still owe them this summer from that Anthony deal could be in the lottery. Lawson scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who had their two-game winning streak stopped and fell back to .500 at 24-24. They committed 24 turnovers that led to 27 points. The Knicks latest slump had sparked renewed reports that coach Mike Woodsons job could be in jeopardy, and he spent most of his pregame news conference repeating his confidence in himself and his team. He still believes the Knicks can be a playoff team, a thought only imaginable because they reside in the Eastern Conference. But they showed Friday how effective they can be when they get balanced scoring beyond Anthony, which has happened infrequently this season, and by the end of the night Woodson was talking about how his Knicks would be difficult for powerful Oklahoma City to handle on Sunday. Then again, they lost to the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks this week, so nothing is certain. "You know what, you cant change the past," centre Tyson Chandler said when asked if he was frustrated that the Knicks couldnt play like this more often. "So I would say more so that it gives us the opportunity to rally, because we see what its going take for us to win. Weve just got to put more nights like this together." Leading by seven in the third quarter, New York began to open a gap when Anthony made a jumper, Chandler scored and Anthony nailed a 3-pointer to make it 62-48 with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the period. Tim Hardaway Jr. made a 3-pointer and Anthony converted a three-point play for a quick six points in the final minute as the lead grew to 83-66. Smith had three straight baskets in the fourth, the latter two from behind the arc, to push the lead to 102-77. The Knicks helped hand the Nuggets a 26-20 lead after one, committing eight turnovers that led to 14 points. But the much-maligned Raymond Felton scored all of his nine points in the second, and New York scored the final nine points of the period for a 50-44 halftime lead. "I think at the end of the second quarter, when it was 44-44, we got five turnovers in a row and couldnt get a shot up and that kind of pushed their lead," Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried said. "They got the lead and after that I guess it was curtains." Felton also had eight assists. NOTES: The Knicks visit to Oklahoma City for a nationally televised matchup features Kevin Durant and Anthony, the NBAs top scorers. Anthony missed the Thunders Christmas Day rout of the Knicks with a sprained ankle. ... The Knicks shot a season-high 57.1 per cent against Brooklyn on Dec. 5. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement. Gale Sayers Jersey . The defending champions sent their preliminary list to FIFA on Tuesday, with coach Vicente del Bosque to announce the final 23-man squad on May 25. Costa is set to lead the attack in his native Brazil, with Atletico Madrid teammate David Villa and Chelseas Fernando Torres also included, while David de Gea replaces injured goalkeeper Victor Valdes. http://www.officialchicagobearspro.com/D...s-bears-jersey/. They signed their first kicker. Ottawa inked Nick Setta, a 32-year-old native of Lockport, Illinois, to a contract. Tom Waddle Jersey .C. Lions. The clubs former starting quarterback, assistant and head coach returned Thursday as its receivers coach. Richard Dent Jersey .com) - Stephen Currys jumper with 3.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Yu Darvish will get some extra rest before his next start after throwing 126 pitches in another near no-hitter. The Texas Rangers announced Sunday that Darvish will not start as scheduled Wednesday at Houston. The right-hander from Japan will instead pitch the series opener at home Friday against Toronto in place of lefty Martin Perez, who reported discomfort in his left elbow after not making it out of the fourth inning Saturday night in his third consecutive bad start. "I dont know because I dont know the particulars," manager Ron Washington responded when about his level of concern on Perez. "Weve just got to wait and see what the evaluation proves out." Perez allowed six runs and 14 runners (nine hits, four walks and a hit batter) in 3 2-3 innings of an 8-3 loss to Boston. Since the end of his 26-inning scoreless streak over three games, Perez (4-3) has given up 19 runs over 13 1-3 innings in his past three games, raising his ERA from 1.42 to 4.38. Perez will stay in Arlington for MRI and treatment instead of going with the team to Houston. The pitcher said he has never had elbow trouble in the past. "Im not nervous. I want to keep working and get in a good situation," Perez said after the Rangers 5-2 loss to Boston on Sunday. "I want to make sure everything is good. Its day to day." Darvish came within one out of a no-hitter Friday night in the sseries opener against the Red Sox before slugger David Ortiz grounded a clean single with two outs in the ninth on the aces 126th and final pitch.dddddddddddd That was just short of his career high of 130 pitches. Nick Tepesch was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday for Triple-A Round Rock, and is slated to pitch for Texas on Wednesday in Darvishs spot before the Rangers have a scheduled day off Thursday. Tepesch was 4-6 in 19 games (17 starts) as a rookie last year for the Rangers, but has spent this season at Round Rock. The right-hander is 5-1 with a 1.58 ERA in seven starts for the Express. Right-hander Scott Baker and infielder Josh Wilson both cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment Thursday. Baker, who pitched 5 1-3 innings in relief in his Rangers debut Wednesday, accepted an assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. The Rangers were still waiting for a decision from Wilson, who can refuse the move. The extra rest for Darvish could also be good news for the Astros. Darvish was within one out of a perfect game during his first start of 2013 in Houston when Marwin Gonzalez singled through the pitchers legs. Darvish then lost a no-hit bid with one out in the eighth inning against the Astros last August. Last month in Arlington, Darvish retired the first 15 Astros batters and pitched eight scoreless innings in what became a 1-0 Texas win in 12 innings. ' ' '