Knicks top Nets to tie series

Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 45 points, Jason Kidd made the tiebreaking three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining, and the visiting New York Knicks rallied from an early 17-point hole to beat the Brooklyn Nets, 100-97, on Tuesday night.

Kidd, who finished with 18 points against his former team, used to dominate the Knicks when he played in New Jersey. Now the series is tied, 1-1, since the Nets moved to Brooklyn, with both games coming down to the tense final minutes.

It occasionally felt like a Knicks home game, with "MVP! MVP!" chants for Anthony and a black-and-orange-dressed Spike Lee sitting courtside and yelling at the referees.

Elsewhere: Ty Lawson collected 26 points, seven assists, and five rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 101-94 win over the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Mich. Corey Brewer added 15 points and former 76er Andre Iguodala had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets. . . . Kyrie Irving scored 28 points in his return after missing 11 games with a broken finger, leading the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100-94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Irving added 11 assists in 39 minutes and showed off his dizzying array of moves as the Cavs ended a five-game losing streak. Kobe Bryant scored 42 points, but the Lakers lost for the eighth time in 11 games. L.A. forward Pau Gasol missed his fifth straight game with knee tendinitis, and point guard Steve Nash still is sidelined by a broken leg.

- Associated Press