SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, Tyson Chandler had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the New York Knicks assumed control early in beating the Sacramento Kings 114-92 on Saturday night.

The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Amare Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer who sat out with a sprained left ankle. They got an unexpected lift from replacement Josh Harrellson, a rookie from Kentucky who made his first NBA start and had career highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds, and hit four 3-pointers.

In the team’s first three games, Harrellson had three points and five rebounds in 29 minutes.

New York (2-2) used a 15-0 run in the opening quarter to take a 35-20 lead. Toney Douglas scored nine points and had three of the Knicks’ six 3-pointers.

Landry Fields had 21 points and Chandler added seven rebounds for the Knicks, who had struggled offensively in losing their previous two games, but had a season-high point total against the Kings. Douglas had 17 points and eight assists.

Marcus Thornton had 14 points for the struggling Kings (1-3), who have lost three straight after defeating the Lakers at home to start the season. Both Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans had 13 points. The Kings shot 35 percent from the field and made only 26 of 41 free throws.

With the Knicks getting contributions from many different players, Anthony was quiet early in the game and his first basket didn’t come until he made a driving layup midway through the second quarter.

Yet he still had 17 at halftime and the Knicks had a 14-point lead.

With the Knicks ahead by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Chandler scored eight points in the opening three minutes, including two three-point plays. Chandler’s second one put New York ahead 88-70. The lead was 20 points or more for much of the fourth quarter.

Chandler was in foul trouble and barely a factor in the first half, playing four minutes. However, the veteran center made all six free throws and had eight points in the third quarter in helping the Knicks take a 78-65 lead into the fourth.

Anthony scored 15 points and Harrellson had 11 in the opening half, when the Knicks led 56-42. The Kings shot 33 percent as their offensive problems continued.

Notes: Knicks reserve forward Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right calf. . The Chicago Bulls also had a 15-0 first-quarter run against the Kings in Thursday’s game. . Free throws continue to be a problem for Evans, who has made 13 of 27 this season. . Knicks rookie center Jerome Jordan committed four fouls in his first seven minutes.

Learning at a morning shootaround that he would be making his first NBA start because teammate Amare Stoudemire was injured, New York Knicks rookie Josh Harrellson didn’t have a lot of time to be nervous.

And the rookie from Kentucky didn’t show it, either.

Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and the Knicks got an unexpected 14 points and 12 rebounds from Harrellson in controlling the game early and cruising past the Sacramento Kings, 114-92 on Saturday night.

The Knicks didn’t miss starting forward Stoudemire, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, who sat out with a sprained left ankle. All five starters had 14 points or more for New York, which took a 14-point lead into halftime and the lead never dipped below double digits in the second half as the Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak.

Tyson Chandler had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Landry Fields scored 21 points for the Knicks, who had struggled offensively in losing their previous two games, but had a season-high point total against the Kings. Toney Douglas had 17 points and eight assists, and Bill Walker added 11 points.

“When the ball is moving like that, you can see how successful we can be offensively,” said Fields, discussing the Knicks’ season-high 26 assists. “It’s a very nice win. Hopefully it brings us momentum going into our next game (Monday at home against Toronto).”

Harrellson connected on his first shot, a wide-open 3-pointer two minutes into the game. He added three more 3-pointers and clearly outplayed Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, his teammate for one season at Kentucky.

“I guarded him all season at practice, so I felt like I know DeMarcus’ game,” Harrelson said. “I thought I did a good job on my former teammate. I was trying to get him out of whack, get him out of his rhythm.”

There had been no rhythm offensively in the first three games for Harrellson, who had a combined three points and five rebounds in 29 minutes.

“It was very important for me to make that first shot and get my confidence going,” Harrellson said. “They had to come out and guard me and that opened things up and left other people open.”

New York (2-2) used a 15-0 run in the opening quarter to take a 35-20 lead. Douglas scored nine points and had three of the Knicks’ six 3-pointers.

“They were hitting big threes and executing and jumped on us and we were never able to crawl back in the game,” Kings coach Paul Westphal said.

Marcus Thornton had 14 points for the struggling Kings (1-3), who have lost three straight after defeating the Lakers at home to start the season. Both Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans had 13 points. The Kings shot 35 percent from the field and made only 26 of 41 free throws.

Sacramento plays a home game against New Orleans on New Year’s night.

“This is a very disappointing loss because we had a very good practice (Friday), probably our best practice of the year,” Kings forward Chuck Hayes said. “But we came out like we don’t know how to carry it over. It’s discouraging.”

With the Knicks getting contributions from many different players, Anthony was quiet early in the game and his first basket didn’t come until he made a driving layup midway through the second quarter.

Yet he still had 17 at halftime and the Knicks had a 14-point lead. A rested Anthony finished with seven rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes, including just a two-plus minute stint in the fourth with the win secured.

“Our team is starting to pick up things in the offense that if we continue to do it, we can be successful,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “When you have a Carmelo with an Amare, it tends to open the floor even more. When the ball moves, our younger guys can get more involved.”

With the Knicks ahead by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, Chandler scored eight points in the opening three minutes, including two three-point plays. Chandler’s second one put New York ahead 88-70. The lead was 20 points or more for much of the fourth quarter.

Chandler was in foul trouble and barely a factor in the first half, playing four minutes. However, the veteran center made all six free throws and had eight points in the third quarter in helping the Knicks take a 78-65 lead into the fourth.

“From the beginning of the game until the end, we just looked lost,” Evans said. “We just play off our natural talent and that’s how we get our points. It’s terrible right now and we’ve just got to figure something out.”

Anthony scored 15 points and Harrellson had 11 in the opening half, when the Knicks led 56-42. The Kings shot 33 percent as their offensive problems continued.

Notes: Knicks reserve forward Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right calf. . The Chicago Bulls also had a 15-0 first-quarter run against the Kings in Thursday’s game. . Free throws continue to be a problem for Evans, who has made 13 of 27 this season. . Knicks rookie center Jerome Jordan committed four fouls in his first seven minutes.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Despite two losses in two days on the West Coast, Knicks fans do have a little something to cheer about here at home – if they’ve got a sweet tooth.

Magnolia Bakery is celebrating the return of the NBA with New York Knicks-themed cupcakes.

The sweets first became available at select locations on Christmas Day to coincide with the Knicks’ 106-104 victory over the Celtics.

Photos: Knicks Defeat Celtics In Christmas Day Thriller

“This is the first year that we’ve introduced Knicks cupcakes,” a representative from the bakery told CBSNewYork. “So far, the fans really seem to enjoy them.”

Related: The 5 Best Bars To Watch A Knicks Game

The cupcakes ($3.25 each) will only be available in the bakery for home games.

But if you’re looking to cater your gamewatch with something other than beer and pretzels, fans can pre-order the treats throughout the season at any time.

The store is also offering Bulls and Lakers cupcakes at our respective Chicago and L.A. locations.

By Jared Smith

– College Sports Writer

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Dec 28, 2011 – After earning a dramatic season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day the New York Knicks begin a three-game, West Coast road trip Wednesday, as the Knicks visit the Golden State Warriors (1-1) and the ORACLE Arena (10:30 p.m. ET on MSG). After the contest, the Knicks (1-0) will then play at the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday (10:30 p.m. on TNT), and at the Sacramento Kings, Saturday (8 p.m. on MSG).

On Wednesday, New York will search for its second consecutive victory to start the season, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by the franchise since 1999. The game will be a reunion with former Knick Mark Jackson, who’s now the Warriors head coach, and could be the debut of newly-acquired guard Jeremy Lin, who was claimed off waivers Monday and will return to the Bay Area where he played last season.

On Thursday, the Knicks will travel to Staples Center to play the Lakers (1-2), who will be playing their fourth game in five days. On Tuesday, behind 26 points from Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles earned a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz and snapped a two-game losing streak.

The West Coast swing ends Saturday, when New York visits the always rowdy Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, CA. The Kings (1-1) will be coming off a Thursday match up with the visiting Chicago Bulls. As of Wednesday, guard Marcus Thorton is the squad’s leading scoring with 20.5 points per game.

Here’s the New York Knicks’ upcoming schedule:

For more on the New York Knicks visit the SB Nation blog Posting And Toasting.

Read More: Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors, Dec 28, 2011 10:30 PM EST

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The NBA season is about to begin and the New York Knicks are still not getting any respect around the NBA. ESPN put together a panel of “experts” that selected the Boston Celtics as the projected winners of the Atlantic division this season. Two even picked the Philadelphia 76ers to win the division ahead of both New York and Boston, raising serious questions about how ESPN can call these guys experts.

The voting on ESPN led to 17 people selecting the ancient Celtics, 11 selecting the improved Knicks and 2 selecting the 76ers. The two that picked Philadelphia are A. Kamenetzky of ESPN LA and Keith Lipscomb of ESPN Fantasy. That’s a bold choice to go with a 76ers team that doesn’t seem to have done much to improve for the 2011-12 season and especially bold to place them among the top four seeds coming out of the Eastern Conference. Those Knicks fans already frustrated with those predictions certainly don’t want to hear what John Hollinger had to say .

According to the Hollinger ratings for this year, New York will finish with a 35-31 record and the No. 7 seed in the East. That would put the Knicks behind both Philadelphia and Boston in the Atlantic division, but also behind a No. 6 seeded Indiana Pacers . Finishing behind the Pacers seems like a huge slap in the face to the Knicks , especially because the team gets a full season from Carmelo Anthony and has added Tyson Chandler for the next few years. Finishing No. 7 in the East isn’t going to cut it, especially because Hollinger predicts a first round loss to the Chicago Bulls.

It seems like some great rivalry games are going to take place in the East this year, especially with the Bulls, Celtics and Miami heat. Those are the three teams that New York has to beat in order to make it back to the NBA Finals, so it’s only fitting that the Knicks play the Celtics on the first day of the regular season. Beating the Celtics on Christmas Day could go a long ways toward helping the Knicks set the pace in the Atlantic division and try to accomplish the first division title since before Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett started wearing the Celtic green.

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Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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