Hawks overcome Knicks, Anthony’s 35

ATLANTA — The New York Knicks melted down again despite another big game from forward Carmelo Anthony.

Atlanta forward Mike Scott came off the bench to score 30 points and guard Lou Williams hit two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks come back from 17 down and beat the Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night at Phillips Arena.

Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll battled Anthony all night and added 24 points to help Atlanta snap an eight-game losing streak.

The Knicks also blew a double-digit lead in a double-overtime loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night. Anthony, who had 44 points against Orlando, scored 35 against the Hawks but was also at the center of a momentum shift in the second half.

Midway through the third quarter, Anthony crossed up Carroll and hit a step-back 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 15. Anthony then gave Carroll an earful on the other end of the court and received a technical foul.

New York coach Mike Woodson, who also received a technical during the jawing, took Anthony out late in the quarter and rested him for the first minutes of the fourth quarter.

“He’s got to rest some,” Woodson said of Anthony’s minutes. “We played double overtime last night. He’s got to rest, and that’s when he normally goes out of the game.”

The Hawks took advantage. Scott and Williams hit consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter, helping Atlanta take its first lead of the second half.

“I think DeMarre and our group made Carmelo work for as many of his points as we could,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

Anthony returned two minutes into the fourth quarter but missed eight of his first nine shots from the field after that. He finished 13 of 25 from the floor and is averaging 41 points in his last three games.

“They made a run heading into the fourth quarter, but it seemed like we were down 20,” Anthony said. “Our body language was like were behind the entire game, when we were winning the majority of the game.”

Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague returned to the starting lineup after missing Friday night’s loss at Detroit with an ankle injury. He scored on a drive early in the first quarter but landed awkwardly and took himself out of the game. Teague checked right back into the game, though, and did not appear to be favoring the ankle. He finished with 28 points and six assists.

“When you’re playing small ball, you may have a lot of open lanes,” Teague said. “Our team is really fast, so we were getting the ball up and pushing it. Having Mike (Scott) out there to stretch the floor made it a lot easier to get in the lanes and make plays.”

Hawks guard Kyle Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 124 games with at least one made 3-pointer with 3:09 left in the first quarter. He knocked down a corner 3 that put the Hawks up 18-16.

The Hawks began the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Knicks.

Scott sparked the Hawks off the bench, hitting his first six shots from the field, including an alley-oop dunk that put Atlanta up 33-23 and forced a Knicks timeout early in the second quarter. New York responded with a 13-3 run without Anthony on the floor.

The Hawks outscored the Knicks 27-10 at the foul line and won despite missing All-Star forward Paul Millsap, who sat out with a knee contusion.

NOTES: The Knicks are expected to cut ties with F Metta World Peace soon. World Peace tweeted Saturday morning that his agent informed him that his release “could happen any (hour) now.” World Peace appeared in 29 games, averaging 4.8 points this season. … The Hawks signed C Dexter Pittman to a 10-day contract. Pittman has played three years, splitting time between the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies. Before adding Pittman, the Hawks were down to one healthy traditional center, veteran Elton Brand. … Atlanta G Kyle Korver has made at least 3-pointer in 124 games, an NBA record. The previous record was held by Dana Barros, who hit at least one 3-pointer in 89 consecutive games. … The Hawks shot 85 percent from the field and scored 41 points in the second quarter of a loss at Detroit on Friday. … Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens was honored at halftime as a part of Atlanta Hawks Heritage Night at Phillips Arena. Wilkens coached the Hawks from 1993 to 2000. … The Knicks return home to host the Dallas Mavericks on Monday before heading to Miami to face the Heat on Thursday. … The Hawks host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.