Knicks 102, Hornets 80: Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points in three quarters to power visiting New York to a rout of slumping New Orleans.

Raymond Felton added 15 points, making 5 of 6 3-pointers, and J.R. Smith also scored 15 as the Knicks improved to an NBA-best 8-1 while sending the Hornets to their fourth consecutive defeat.

Tyson Chandler had seven points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help New York to a dominating 49-36 advantage on the boards against New Orleans, which had to play without injured No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis.

Ryan Anderson had 15 points and eight rebounds, but the Hornets were unable to keep pace with the Knicks, with the exception of a 13-0 second-quarter spurt that gave them a brief lead before they went to halftime trailing 53-48.

New York started to pull away in the third behind its long-range shooting. Ronnie Brewer's 3-pointer pushed the lead to double digits, and Felton and Smith buried shots from beyond the arc for a 74-58 edge. Anthony outscored the Hornets by himself in the first quarter, pouring in 19 points to lead the Knicks to a 29-17 advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Hornets said Davis suffered a stress reaction in his left ankle during Monday's practice, though he participated in Tuesday's shootaround. The team's second-leading scorer (16.0) and leading rebounder (8.3), Davis also is expected to miss Wednesday's game at Indiana. ... The Knicks, who entered the game averaging 26.5 attempts from behind the arc, hoisted up 36 3-point attempts and converted 14. ... The Hornets waived SG Matt Carroll, who was acquired from Charlotte on Nov. 13 in exchange for F Hakim Warrick.