DPA/Los Angeles
Carmelo Anthony poured in a season-high 43 points, including the go-ahead triple with 8.2 seconds left in overtime, and the New York Knicks spoiled Derrick Rose’s return to the lineup, with a thrilling 100-99 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Easter Sunday. Rose dropped in 22 of his 29 points in the second half but shot just 8 of 26 from the field after sitting out the previous dozen games with a right groin strain. The NBA’s reigning MVP also committed eight turnovers and missed the potential game-winning seven-foot baseline jumper on the game’s final play. Iman Shumpert scored 15, JR Smith added 14 for the Knicks (29-27), who moved one game ahead of idle Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and even with Philadelphia for the seventh seed with about 10 remaining in the regular season. Besides Rose, Carlos Boozer collected 13 points with 16 rebounds for the league-best Bulls (43-14), who leads Miami (40-15) by two games atop the East. Two nights after having its 17-game home court winning streak snapped, LeBron James scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 22 and James Jones, filling in for Dwyane Wade (sore right ankle), drained a career-tying high six triples en route to 18 points, and the Miami Heat completed a 3-0 season series sweep over the visiting Detroit Pistons, 98-75. Kevin Garnett scored 20 points, Rajon Rondo handed out 15 assists, and the Boston Celtics won their third in a row while sending the visiting Philadelphia 76rs to their fourth straight defeat, 103-79. Boston leads the Atlantic Division by three games over both New York and Philadelphia. Frenchman Tony Parker tossed in 28 points, Argentine Manu Ginobili added 23 while Tim Duncan took down 16 rebounds, and the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs (40-14), ran their winning streak to 11 after a 114-104 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz. Al Jefferson had 19 points with 10 rebounds for Utah, which fell one and a half games behind idle Denver for the final playoff spot in the West with nine games left in the regular season. Kevin Durant scored 23 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder went on a game-breaking 24-0 run, bridging nearly nine minutes of the third and fourth quarters, to rout the visiting Raptors and snap a season-high three-game skid, 91-75. Elsewhere: the New Jersey Nets trimmed the reeling Cleveland Cavaliers 122-117 in overtime; and the visiting Houston Rockets routed the Sacramento Kings 104-87.