Knicks 103, Magic 98: Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 19 points before leaving the game with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter and visiting New York held off a second-half surge to edge Orlando.

J.R. Smith had 14 of his 18 points in the first half as the Knicks took a 24-point lead and Orlando got as close as one in the final quarter. Andrea Bargnani and Raymond Felton added 13 points each while Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which beat the Magic for the eighth straight time.

Arron Afflalo led the way with 26 points and Glen Davis chipped in with 20 for Orlando, which has dropped the first three on its six-game homestand. Jameer Nelson contributed 17 points and 10 assists while Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic.

Orlando made 7-of-8 from the field early to take a seven-point lead before Anthony scored eight as the Knicks edged in front 29-27 after one quarter. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Smith each scored five as New York ran off 10 straight points to push its lead to 11 and the Knicks stayed hot to build a 65-41 advantage at halftime.

The Magic trailed by 20 when Anthony left the game in the third and whittled their deficit to as low as six before the Knicks took an 84-76 lead into the final quarter. Orlando pulled within 84-83, but Iman Shumpert made two key baskets and Beno Udrih preserved the win by making 6-of-6 at the free-throw line in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Anthony, who came down awkwardly on his left ankle after a rebound battle 4 ½ minutes into the second half, has led the Knicks in scoring in all 27 games this season. … Nelson has drained at least two 3-pointers in 10 consecutive games after making 3-of-10 on Monday. … New York Fs Metta World Peace (sore knee), Kenyon Martin (strained abdominal muscle) and G Pablo Prigioni (fractured toe) all missed the game.