Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points, J.R. Smith added 29 points and the New York Knicks held off a furious rally to beat the Sacramento Kings 107-99 Wednesday night and move a game closer to the final playoff seed.

Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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A night after a lackluster 127-96 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, the Knicks avoided a monumental collapse to another one of the Western Conference's worst teams. New York led by 24 in the third quarter before Sacramento surged back, and the Knicks needed a scintillating shooting performance from Anthony and Smith to snap a two-game skid.

New York (30-42) is two games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference after the Hawks (31-39) lost 107-83 to Minnesota.

DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Kings.

(Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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