NEW YORK — The New York Knicks, with forward Carmelo Anthony scoring a career-high and franchise-record 62 points, finally won a game during their current eight-game homestand as they demolished the Charlotte Bobcats 125-96 on Friday night.
The Knicks (16-27) were able to snap their five-game losing streak — including the last three at the Garden — due mainly to Anthony. The All-Star’s 62 points were the most points ever scored in the current edition of the Garden.
Anthony was torrid from the start as he notched the franchise’s single-quarter high with 20 points in the opening stanza, only to top that by finishing the first half with a league-best 37 points.
It was the fourth time that Anthony surpassed the 50-point mark, en route to his career-high showing. His performance broke small forward Bernard King’s mark of 60 points by a Knick and Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant’s record of 61 points by any player on the Garden floor.
Anthony wasn’t a one-dimensional player, either, as he also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Knicks as a whole were hot, shooting 55.6 percent from the field, including 51.9 percent in 3-pointers.
Anthony was the main offensive attraction, as the Knicks didn’t need much else by way of offense, but shooting guard J.R. Smith also added 14 points (5-of-9 shooting), four assists and two steals, while point guard Raymond Felton finally shook his recent slump by notching 11 points, five assists and just one turnover.
Charlotte (19-26) was led by center Al Jefferson’s 25 points and nine rebounds, while guards Jannero Pargo and Ramon Sessions registered 11 and 12 points, respectively, and reserve swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts added 14 points. The Bobcats shot a respectable 48.7 percent from the floor, but Anthony’s torrid shooting obviously overshadowed that statistic.
The Knicks shook their early malaise during the eight-game homestand to take a commanding 67-46 halftime lead over the Bobcats.
Anthony had 37 points — an NBA season high in the first half — on 15-of-21 shooting from the field in 22 minutes.
The Knicks shot 63.6 percent from the field, including 43.2 percent on 3-pointers.