Knicks Vs. Hawks: Carmelo Anthony's 39 Leads N.Y. To 113-112 Win

Hawks Vs. Knicks Final Score: Carmelo Anthony, Knicks Get Ugly 113-112 Win

The Knicks and Hawks scored lots of points .. until the fourth quarter, when no one could buy a bucket. And that's how New York escaped with a 113-112 win: with no one scoring for the final 1:40 of the fourth quarter.

Atlanta forward Marvin Williams drove to the basket off a timeout in the game's final seconds — and failed to even get off the potential game-winner before the buzzer. Carmelo Anthony got off 32 shots that counted, and finished with a game-high 39 points to lead the Knicks to victory.

It was ugly, but the Knicks will take it. New York improves 34-30, a half-game up on the Sixers for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and with an outside shot at catching the Magic for the Sixth spot. If the Knicks could do that, it would mean avoiding the East's big two of Miami and Chicago in the first round.

Here are the insta-reactions from our team sites:

Seth Rosenthal (@seth_rosenthal), from our Knicks blog, Posting and Toasting.

Sure, why not?

— Seth Rosenthal (@seth_rosenthal) April 22, 2012

Kris Willias (@Kris_Willis), for SB Nation Atlanta:

Once again the Hawks were plagued by suspect execution down the stretch as they failed to get a good look at the basket on several of their final possessions.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, SB Nation New York, Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Knicks Vs. Hawks Score: Carmelo Anthony Goes Off, But New York Trails 65-60 At Halftime

The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks met before this Sunday's contest and agreed no one would play defense, because they are both tired and getting ready for the playoffs. OK, that's not true -- the agreement part, I mean. It is true that no one is playing defense.

Carmelo Anthony poured in 20 points for the Knicks, but the Hawks' balanced attack has helped them to a 65-60 lead at halftime.

Marvin Williams, Jeff Teague, and Joe Johnson combined for 39 points on 15-of-18 (!!!) shooting. Tyson Chandler is sitting out with a sore knee, so it's not a terrible surprise that New York has struggled to defend.

Here's what jumps off the stat sheet:

• Carmelo is still the Knicks hero, the one it needs if not the one it deserves. Anthony took nearly half the Knicks total field goal attempts in the first half. He leads New York with 20 points.

• As I mentioned, no one is playing defense! The Knicks shot 60 percent from the field, and still trail by five ... they were able to "hold" Atlanta to "just" 59 percent from the floor, which is "not" "bad."

• Here are two guys to watch in the second half: Amare Stoudemire and Josh Smith. Stoudemire is working his way back from an injury, but has 11 points and missed just one shot in 10 first-half minutes. Smith has enjoyed his best season as a pro this year, but has yet to get it going Sunday. If he wakes up in the second half, the Knicks could be in trouble.

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, SB Nation New York, Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Knicks Vs. Hawks: Schedule, TV Info And More

The New York Knicks plays the Atlanta Hawks Sunday afternoon at The Highlight Factory, which got its name when Dominique Wilkins made the Hawks must-see TV a few decades ago. The Knicks' constant intrigue surrounding the play of Carmelo Anthony -- with and without Amare Stoudemire, who is on his second game back from his back injury after the team's loss in their last game at Cleveland -- make them captivating to watch in a vastly different way.

The Hawks, on the other hand, have been at times downright unwatchable. Everyone's seen this movie before -- the cast is the same, the plot has developed the same way -- but the wild card may be Josh Smith. The mercurial power forward is having the best season of his career (18.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.8 blocks per game), is in contention for a possible spot on an All-NBA team and could be the difference between this Hawks team and the high-floor, low-ceiling acts of recent years.

The Knicks are on the other end of the spectrum. They're feast or famine in the most extreme way imaginable, and Stoudemire's arrival after weeks on the shelf throws what was some balance and cohesiveness in flux yet again. Anthony scored 12 points in STAT's return, while he had been averaging more than 30 since Amare and Jeremy Lin left the lineup. They'll need to jell before the playoffs start and they face either the Bulls or Heat in the first round.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 22, 1 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta

TV: ESPN

For more on these two teams, visit Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, SB Nation New York, Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Knicks Vs. Hawks: Atlanta, New York Battle For Playoff Positioning

The Knicks and the Hawks battle Sunday as they fight to prepare and position themselves for next week's Eastern Conference playoffs.