Knicks 117, Nuggets 90: Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points as host New York recovered from a slow start and raced past Denver.

Amar’e Stoudemire added 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench and J.R. Smith scored 13 points in a reserve role as the Knicks snapped a three-game slide. Tyson Chandler had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go with eight rebounds and Jeremy Tyler contributed 12 points and 11 boards for New York.

Ty Lawson recorded 24 points and seven assists as the Nuggets dropped the opener of a four-game road trip. Wilson Chandler added 17 points and seven rebounds against his former team and Randy Foye scored 13 for Denver.

The Nuggets held a 33-24 lead with three minutes into the second quarter before the Knicks took over. Stoudemire scored five points in a 7-0 burst to draw New York close and Anthony scored seven points during a 13-2 spurt that closed the half and sent the Knicks into the break with a 50-44 edge.

New York hit five of its first six shots in the third quarter, capped by Anthony’s 3-pointer that made it 62-48. The advantage was 83-68 heading into the fourth quarter and Smith nailed back-to-back 3-pointers early in the fourth to push it to 102-77 before coasting to the finish.

GAME NOTEBOOK: New York scored 27 points off 24 Denver turnovers. … The Knicks’ bench outscored Denver’s reserves 60-21. … Anthony has scored 20 or more points in 14 straight games and is averaging 29.8 in the last four contests.