Knicks Crush Wizards, Now Tied For 7th in East

Baron Davis scored a season-high 18 points on his 33rd birthday, JR Smith had 23, and the New York Knicks surged into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference by routing the Washington Wizards 103-65 on Friday night.

Carmelo Anthony and Steve Novak also had 18 for the Knicks, who could now be looking at a playoff preview when they host second-place Miami on Sunday. The Knicks tied Philadelphia after the 76ers lost earlier Friday to New Jersey, and New York holds the tiebreaker for the No. 7 seed.

Anthony was well off his NBA-leading average of 32.4 points through his first five games in April. But he only played 29 minutes as the Knicks narrowly missed their second 40-point victory under interim coach Mike Woodson.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)