Knicks 87, Celtics 71: Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and host New York used another dominant second half to take a 2-0 series lead.

J.R. Smith scored 19 points off the bench and Raymond Felton added 16 for the Knicks, who erased a six-point halftime deficit by limiting the Celtics to 23 points in the second half - a franchise playoff low for Boston. The last time New York won the first two games of a playoff series was in 2000.

Paul Pierce had a team-high 18 points and foul-ridden Kevin Garnett added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who managed only 11 points in the third quarter after being held to 25 points in the second half of Game 1. The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday night.

Jason Terry hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 16-3 spurt as the Celtics led by as many as nine points in the second quarter before settling for a 48-42 halftime edge.

Iman Shumpert opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-pointers and Anthony had nine points in a 24-4 burst as New York stormed ahead by 14 and took a 74-59 lead into the fourth. Boston got as close as nine points with 9:15 to play but was held without a field goal the rest of the way as the Knicks pulled away.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Smith, who was presented with his Sixth Man of the Year award prior to the game, shot 7-of-15 and hit 2-of-4 3-pointers. ... Boston scored 18 points off eight turnovers in the opening half but managed only two points off turnovers after the break. ... Knicks PG Pablo Prigioni had one point and five assists in 18 minutes in his return to the starting lineup after sitting out Game 1 with a sprained ankle.