76ers 97, Knicks 80
PHILADELPHIA -- Jrue Holiday celebrated his first All-Star selection by scoring a career-high 35 points Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the New York Knicks 97-80.
The fourth-year point guard, named an Eastern Conference reserve Thursday, made 16 of 25 shots from the floor and had six assists and five rebounds, helping the Sixers (18-25) snap a two-game losing streak.
Philadelphia also avenged two blowout losses to the Atlantic Division-leading Knicks early in the season.
Nick Young and Evan Turner had 20 points apiece for the Sixers, who began the night averaging 93.2 points per game, third worst in the league. But they breezed to a 29-point lead late in the third quarter and were never threatened thereafter. They shot 50.7 percent from the floor.
About the only thing that went awry for the Sixers was the departure of coach Doug Collins in the second half to undergo a dental examination. Collins lost a tooth before the game.
Carmelo Anthony had 25 points to pace New York (26-15). But Anthony, the league's third-leading scorer at 29 points per game, made just 9 of 29 shots from the floor. The Knicks shot 34.8 percent as a team and missed 23 of 27 3-point attempts. They began the night fourth in the league in 3-point accuracy.
Amare Stoudemire added 20 points for the Knicks.
Knicks point guard Raymond Felton, making his first appearance after missing 12 games with a broken finger, made just 2 of 8 shots from the field and finished with eight points and three assists.
The Sixers outscored the Knicks 29-12 in the first 10:32 of the third quarter to extend a 53-41 halftime lead to 82-53. Thaddeus Young had 14 points and Holiday 10 in that stretch.
Holiday scored 19 points in the first half, when the Sixers shot 56.1 percent from the field to take a 53-41 lead.
Anthony and Stoudemire had 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Knicks, who shot just 35.7 percent from the field and missed 12 of their 15 3-point attempts.
NOTES: Spencer Hawes and Nick Young started at center and guard for the Sixers, respectively. It was Hawes' first start of the season and Young's fourth, as Collins sought to find a way to improve his team's first-quarter performance. "We've won 10 first quarters all year out of 42, which is second worst in the NBA," he said. "We're 10-1 when we've won or tied the first quarter. ... Last year, we used to come out strong and get the defense set. That's not been the case this year." The Sixers got out to an early 12-2 lead and were up 24-19 after a quarter. ... Knicks coach Mike Woodson was asked about his players accepting revised roles, now that Felton, Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert have returned from injuries. "They don't have a choice," Woodson said. "You either accept your role or you don't play." ... Woodson does not plan to play Shumpert more than 30 minutes a game. ... Sixers guard Jason Richardson missed his third straight game with a sore left knee. ... Collins was delayed in addressing reporters before the game when he lost a tooth. "The other guy's in trouble," he joked. ... Collins drew a technical foul with 3:32 left in the first quarter, arguing an illegal-screen call against Lavoy Allen.
