The desperation was spelled out on the scoreboard, across the Knicks' bench and finally in their lineup. They were teetering on the edge of disaster before finding momentary salvation from sources both obvious and unexpected. They trailed the Washington Wizards, a team with no victories and even less chemistry, by double digits. Their starting backcourt was in disarray. A bad week was about to get profoundly worse. But Carmelo Anthony seized the moment, Amar'e Stoudemire asserted himself and Iman Shumpert forced his way into prominence as the Knicks rallied for a 99-96 win to avert humiliation. Anthony led the way with 37 points and sealed the victory with a late 3-pointer, despite tweaking his back minutes earlier. John Wall and Nick Young missed 3-pointers in the final seconds, and the Knicks (3-4) escaped. Washington built a 16-point lead in the first quarter and rallied from 8 points down in the fourth but fell to 0-7 — the only team in the NBA without a win. Losing here would have been devastating for the Knicks. The comeback was spearheaded primarily by Anthony and Stoudemire, who found his way back to the rim and finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Tyson Chandler added 12 points and 15 rebounds, completing a dominant night from the frontcourt. But the intrigue was in the backcourt, where Shumpert — the frenetic rookie with a preternatural confidence — supplanted Toney Douglas to start the second half. Shumpert had 10 points — 6 in the fourth quarter — plus a team-high 7 assists and 5 steals. He brought more energy and production than Douglas, who played only 1 minute 31 seconds in the second half. Nets 97, Raptors 85: The Nets made a season-high 15 3-pointers in an easy victory over the Raptors in Toronto, ending a six-game losing streak and winning for the first time since their opener Dec. 26. Deron Williams had 24 points and 9 assists, and Anthony Morrow also scored 24 for the Nets. Guard Jordan Farmar came off the bench to score 10 points and the former Raptor Kris Humphries matched his season high with 16 rebounds. Jose Calderon scored a season-high 19 points for Toronto. Bulls 97, Magic 83: Derrick Rose and Luol Deng each scored 21 points as visiting Chicago earned its sixth straight win. The Bulls (7-1) are off to their best start since they won 12 of 13 to open the 1996-97 season. Dwight Howard led Orlando with 28 points and 15 rebounds. Pacers 87, Celtics 74: Indiana won in Boston for the first time since 2007 as Danny Granger had 15 points and Roy Hibbert gathered 11 points and 12 rebounds. Ray Allen scored 23 points for the Celtics. Paul Pierce scored 10 points but made only 3 of 17 shots. Other results: Lakers 97, Warriors 90; Thunder 104, Rockets 94; Nuggets 96, Hornets 88; 76ers 96, Pistons 73; Jazz 94, Gizzlies 85; Hawks 102, Bobcats 96; Cavaliers 98, T'wolves 87; Suns 102, Trail Blazers 77.
