worse, dropping eight of nine to fall from 18 to 2

NEW YORK -- They dont look like the lowly losers of last month. The New York Knicks are playing as if its last season -- when they even had mighty Miamis number. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points, Andrea Bargnani had 19, and the Knicks beat the Heat 102-92 on Thursday night for their season-high third straight victory. "You can tell its different than one month ago," Bargnani said. "Our faces are different, our body language is different." Raymond Felton had 13 points and 14 assists for the Knicks, who seized control with a 16-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters and beat the Heat for the fourth time in five meetings over the last two seasons. New York was second to Miami in the Eastern Conference last season when it won the series 3-1, but there was little reason to suggest until recently the Knicks were ready to compete with the NBA champions this season. New York is 13-22 but has won four of five in 2014, with victories over San Antonio and Miami -- last seasons NBA finalists. "It wasnt going to last all season like that," Felton said. "We were just going through a slump, now I feel like were out of it." With Tyson Chandler out sick and J.R. Smith stuck on the bench as an apparent punishment, Amare Stoudemire had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. LeBron James scored 32 points for the Heat, who played without injured starters Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier and didnt get much from Chris Bosh, who was held to six points on 3-of-10 shooting. "All I know about this game is they outplayed us and they earned that win," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Dwyane Wade scored 23 points but missed all six free throws after sitting out the morning shootaround as Miami had its three-game winning streak snapped. "I only missed six," Wade said. "I didnt miss 20. It wasnt that damn bad." Smith didnt play after the reigning Sixth Man of the Years latest trouble, a $50,000 fine when he attempted to untie an opponents sneaker for the second straight game, after hed been warned by the NBA not to do it again. Knicks coach Mike Woodson criticized Smiths behaviour during a radio interview Wednesday but said before the game he wouldnt discuss Smith any longer. But the benching did the speaking for him. Smith often stood far away from the huddle during timeouts, but his teammates sure didnt miss him on the court. Woodson again wouldnt comment after the game, but no Knicks player, not even Smith, seemed to know he wouldnt play. "I didnt know anything about it," Smith said. "I expected to do the same thing I always do. I did my same routine and it didnt happen." Though the roster is different and the results are way worse, Woodson said before the game he believed the things that worked so well against the Heat last season could still do so, and for this night he was right as New York shot 54 per cent from the field. "Were moving forward," Anthony said. "Were taking strides. Were getting better. Were learning from our mistakes weve made in the past and were going to continue to build on this and see what happens." The Knicks surged into the lead late in the third. Bargnani answered back quickly after James blew by him for a dunk, converting a three-point play to tie it and ignite a 9-0 spurt that helped New York lead 75-71 entering the final 12 minutes. New York ran off seven in a row to open the fourth, making it 82-71 on Stoudemires basket, and there was never really a run for the Heat, who couldnt get closer than five from there. "They played a great game," James said. "They made some timely shots." The Heat were opening a six-game trip, but the start of it couldnt be more convenient. They are just a few miles away Friday to visit Brooklyn in a game in which players from both teams will wear nicknames on their jerseys. But the best they can do is salvage a New York split, even after shooting 54 per cent in this one. Miami scored the final seven points of the first quarter to take a 27-21 lead. The Knicks scored 11 in a row early in the second, but Rashard Lewis made two 3-pointers from the corner in the final 1:11 to help the Heat grab a 48-43 halftime edge. Notes: James played in his 800th career game. ... The Heat return to New York on Feb. 1, the night before the Super Bowl just across the river in New Jersey. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . -- A lawyer for the fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez asked a judge Friday to throw out perjury charges, saying Shayanna Jenkins did not wilfully lie as she was bombarded with 1,630 questions over two days before a grand jury. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. Soccer Jerseys China .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly.The Anaheim Ducks have captured top spot in the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings, finally overtaking the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, who rank second and third this week. Winning 19 of their past 21 games has vaulted the Ducks all the way up chart after being ranked 11th six week ago. The Carolina Hurricanes got a personnel bump this week, from 20 to 15, with the return from injury of centre Eric Staal, and continued strong play from goaltender Anton Khudobin, filling in for an injured Cam Ward. Lockdown defence in Paul Maurices first three games behind the bench, along with the pending return of left winger Evander Kane, brought the Winnipeg Jets up from 24 to 20, while the New Jersey Devils climb from 25 to 21, losing once in regulation in the past six games and getting left winger Patrik Elias back in the lineup. The Washington Capitals are reeling, having lost five straight, and fall from 11 to 16, while the Dallas Stars have it even worse, dropping eight of nine to fall from 18 to 24.dddddddddddd. Among the other Canadian teams, the slumping Vancouver Canucks remain the highest-ranked, at nine, one spot ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. Goaltending woes continue to cause problems for the Ottawa Senators, who are down one to 17. The Toronto Maple Leafs have won four straight, but hold at 23, after the Jets and Devils rise up. Dealing for goaltender Ben Scrivens provides a little goaltending hope for the Edmonton Oilers and they bump from 27 to 26, while the Calgary Flames hold steady at 29, though they are gradually losing ground to the 30th-ranked Buffalo Sabres. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '