What was supposed to be a terrific homecoming for New York Knicks star and former Syracuse University star Carmelo Anthony turned sour as the Philadelphia 76ers (6-1) beat a late-rallying Knicks (2-3) squad 98-90 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
"My streak is over," Anthony lamented as he spoke to the Associated Press afterwards, ESPN reported.
Anthony shined in his return to the place where he led the Syracuse Orangemen-as a freshman-to a perfect home record and the NCAA Championship in 2002-03, scoring 23 points while adding 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and a block.
However, shooting guard Jason Richardson matched him with 23 points of his own for Philadelphia, who at one point led the Knicks by as many as 24 points in the first half.
The Knicks battled back in the third quarter behind three-pointers from Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd to cut the lead to 74-65. A three-point shot from Anthony in the final minute of the quarter made it a 76-72 game before Richardson hit a pair of threes in the fourth quarter to keep the Sixers ahead.
"The third quarter we came out, got ourselves together," Anthony said. "We played with some energy, ran our offense, played some defense, got up and down the court, played well. When we play like that, you saw how good of a team we can be."
NBA Preseason Scores from Around the League:
Raptors: 104, Bucks: 95
The Toronto Raptors (5-1) won their fourth straight exhibition game, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 104-95 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and center Andrea Bargnani shouldered the offensive load for Toronto, DeRozan scoring 21 points while Bargnani tackedon 17 points.
Meanwhile, point guard Monta Ellis scored 26 points and shooting guard Mike Dunleavy had 21 points for the Bucks, who dropped their fourth straight game.
Ellis cut it to 94-92 on a jumper with 1:50 left, but Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry replied with a 3-pointer to keep the Bucks at bay.
Mavericks: 87, Hornets: 74
The Dallas Mavericks improved to a 3-3 record after beating the New Orleans Hornets (3-3) in a 87-74 home game win at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Tex.
However, in doing so, the Mavericks also lost rookie guard Austin Rivers, who left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. The injury to Rivers adds to the growing list of injured Mavericks, including Dirk Nowitzki (right knee) and center Chris Kaman (right calf strain.)
O.J. Mayor scored 13 points to lead the Mavericks while rookie Jae Crowder put in 12 points of his own, while for the Hornets, top draft pick Anthony Davis grabbed 17 rebounds while power forward Ryan Anderson and center Robin Lopez each scored 14 for New Orleans.
Suns: 103, Kings: 88
Behind small forward Jared Dudley's 25 points, five Phoenix players were in double figures as the Phoenix Suns (3-2) beat the Sacramento Kings (4-2) 103-88 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Suns overcame a slow start and a 12-point deficit to take a 50-44 lead at halftime. Dudley hit a 3-pointer and completed a three-point play in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter to give Phoenix a 58-44 lead.
Small forward Michael Beasley had 15 points, power forward Markieff Morris added 14, point guard Shannon Brown scored 12 and power forward Luis Scola tacked on 11 for the Suns, who have won three of the last four games.
For the Kings, small forward Tyler Honeycutt scored 17 points and power forward Jason Thompson chipped in with 14.
Trail Blazers: 120, Jazz: 114
The Portland Trail Blazers (3-3) staved off a late comeback to beat the Utah Jazz (4-3) in a 120-114 home win at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
While the Blazers led by as many as 26 points in the second half, the Jazz fought back and got as close as six points in the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Blazers 41-26.
Small forward Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 27 points while rookie point guard Damian Lillard put in 21 points.
Center Enes Kanter came off the bench to score 18 points for the Jazz while point guard Mo Williams put in 15 for the Jazz.
Clippers: 88, Warriors: 71
The Los Angeles Clippers (3-3) pulled to a .500 mark in preseason play when they pulled off a 88-71 victory over the Golden State Warriors (5-2) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
While Blake Griffin finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the Clippers (3-3), and fellow superstar and point guard Chris Paul had 11 points with 9 assists, the story of the game for the Clippers was DeAndre Jordan, who led the Clippers with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
"I worked tremendously hard with Marc Iavaroni and a number of the other coaches on my offensive game," Jordan said of his work during the preseason. "They all said that I had it before, but they told me I needed to just slow down and take my time when I got down there under the basket.
Jarrett Jack scored 14 points from the point guard slot to lead the Warriors.
For boxscore details on each preseason game, visit ESPN.com.
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