ATLANTA (AP) The New York Knicks gave center Tyson Chandler, the key to their improved defense, a day off against the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams seemed to scrap their defenses through three quarters of a shootout between playoff-bound teams.

However, it was a defensive play that decided the game when Amare Stoudemire blocked Marvin Williams‘ dunk attempt at the buzzer to save the Knicks’ 113-112 win over the Hawks on Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and hit the winning jumper with 1:40 left on Atlanta’s defensive miscommunication. Stoudemire finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 with a sore back.

Williams scored a season-high 29 points in a rare start, but came up empty when he – and a full-throated crowd in Philips Arena – felt he was fouled.

”No contact at all. It was a great battle,” Stoudemire said. ”It was a phenomenal game. From what Coach Woody’s (Mike Woodson) saying, the way to win a championship is defense and rebounding.”

Defense was often absent as the Hawks shot a season-high 15 for 23 on 3-pointers, and the Knicks were 12 for 19 from beyond the arc.

New York led 94-93 after three quarters.

The Hawks (38-26) hold the No. 5 seed in the East, and still have hopes of securing homecourt advantage in a likely first-round match-up against the Celtics (37-27).

Sunday didn’t help, and Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson wasn’t happy about it after he spent much of the day chasing Anthony. Johnson scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Anthony was 14 for 32 as the only New York starter to shoot under 50 percent.

”It’s frustrating that we’re still playing for something and defensively we were non-existent,” Johnson said. ”There was no help (on defense). If you were guarding somebody 1-on-1, you were definitely guarding 1-on-1.”

Woodson gave Chandler the day off after New York played seven games in 11 days. The Knicks have allowed 116.3 points in three games without Chandler, and 93.8 when he plays.

The Hawks built a 65-60 halftime lead on 59 percent shooting even as Anthony scored 20 points and the Knicks shot 60 percent.

”It shows how valuable Tyson Chandler is to our ball club,” Woodson said. ”He plugs a lot of holes for us. It’s fun for fans, but we have to defend better.”

Both teams slowed down offensively in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks took their final lead at 112-111 on Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left.

Anthony countered with a jumper 10 seconds later to close the scoring when he was left wide open on the right wing.

Yet the Hawks had a good chance to win.

With just more than 3 seconds to play, Johnson inbounded to Williams near the Knicks’ bench. The plan was for him to hand the ball back to Johnson on a curl, but New York rookie Iman Shumpert – who played at Georgia Tech just a mile or so away – bumped Johnson off his path.

Williams turned and beat Stoudemire down the lane only to find both he and Anthony contesting at the rim – as Chandler normally would. A split-second after the ball was rejected, the buzzer sounded.

”I felt like I got fouled at the end,” Williams said, ”but they didn’t call it.”

Johnson, who made 2-of-3 shots in the final quarter (both being 3s), was as irritated about the Hawks’ offense as he was the defense.

”Down the stretch, I just figure you got to put the ball in the hands of your playmakers,” he said. ”The Knicks did it all game. ‘Melo shot 32 times. They got the ball to the right man.”

The Knicks (34-30) are one-half game ahead of Philadelphia (33-30) for the No. 7 spot in the East.

NOTES: Knicks F Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, and Woodson said he will not play in the last two regular-season games Wednesday against the Clippers and Thursday at Charlotte. … Knicks uber-fan Spike Lee was at the game. … Hawks center Zaza Pachulia missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left foot. Josh Smith started at center. … Stoudemire started at center for New York.

ATLANTA
– Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points, and the New York Knicks outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 113-112 on Sunday in a game between two playoff-bound teams still battling for postseason seeding.

The Hawks took their final lead at 112-111 on Joe Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left. Anthony countered with a jumper 10 seconds later for the final margin.

Off an inbound play with three seconds remaining, Atlanta’s Marvin Williams beat Amare Stoudemire off the dribble at the top of the lane. But as he went for a dunk just before the buzzer, Stoudemire blocked the shot. Williams, who led Atlanta with a season-high 29 points, wanted a foul call on Anthony or Stoudemire, both of whom appeared to make contact.

Stoudemire started at center in place of Tyson Chandler, who was resting a sore knee.

The teams combined for 27 3-pointers on 42 attempts.

Stoudemire added 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game after missing 13 with a sore back. Jeff Teague scored 23 for Atlanta, and Johnson had 22.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson gave Chandler the day off after New York played seven games in 11 days, and he was missed. The Knicks entered the game allowing 118.5 points in two games without Chandler and 93.8 when he plays.

Landry Fields, who moved into the starting lineup at forward Sunday, and Anthony scored 12 points each in the third quarter, and the Knicks made 7-of-8 3-pointers in the period to take a 94-93 lead. Fields finished with 18 points in a rare start.

The Hawks hold the No. 5 spot in the East and still have hopes of securing home-court advantage in a likely first-round matchup against the Celtics.

The Knicks are a half game ahead of Philadelphia for the No. 7 spot in the East.

NOTES: Knicks forward Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, and Woodson said he will not play in the last two regular-season games Wednesday against the Clippers and Thursday at Charlotte. … Knicks uber-fan Spike Lee was at the game.

Even when most of their roster was healthy, the Orlando Magic struggled recently against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks had won nine of the teams’ previous 11 regular-season and postseason games entering their matchup Friday night — and Dwight Howard had played in all of those games.

Things turned ugly without Howard on Friday.

In what could be a preview of the remainder of Orlando’s season now that Howard has been diagnosed with a herniated disk in his lower back, the Hawks dominated the Magic 109-81 at Amway Center.

Nothing worked for Orlando. Not the offense. And especially not the defense, which allowed the Hawks to make 75 percent of their shots in the first quarter and just over 50 percent of their shots for the entire game.

“It was a very, very poor defensive effort,” coach Stan Van Gundy said.

“I just told ‘em after the game, ‘Run back.’ I was really, really upset, especially with our starters in the first quarter. [They] just did not bring anything to that game in what we needed, and I told them that. We didn’t run back. We didn’t get matched up. They got too many easy shots. There was no excuse for what happened in that first quarter.”

Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams finished with 16 points apiece. Reserve point guard Jannero Pargo scored a game-high 17 points.

“We just didn’t do anything right tonight,” Magic wing Jason Richardson said. “No excuses.”

Glen Davis, who replaced Howard in the Magic lineup, scored 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added nine rebounds.

The Magic (34-25) need to find some traction — and quickly.

They lead the seventh-place New York Knicks and the eighth-place Philadelphia 76ers by three games and hold a 5½-game lead over the ninth-place Milwaukee Bucks.

The Magic showed decent effort at times against the Hawks (35-24).

On one sequence in the first quarter, Davis delivered a bone-crunching screen to Smith that sent the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Smith to Amway Center’s parquet floor.

A few seconds later, Richardson sprinted down the court to block Zaza Pachulia’s layup attempt on a fastbreak. Richardson grabbed the ball, passed it ahead to Von Wafer, who sent it to Davis for a fastbreak layup. The score cut Atlanta’s lead to 25-20.

But the Hawks would finish the first period 15 for 20 from the field.

“We didn’t let up because Dwight wasn’t playing,” Smith said.

Atlanta’s shooters cooled off in the second quarter, shooting just 37 percent, but the Hawks maintained their momentum because the Magic shot only 32 percent from the field.

It was a rotten first half.

Quentin Richardson’s face absorbed what appeared to be an accidental left forearm from Pachulia as they both went for a loose ball with 4:53 remaining in the half. Richardson looked dazed, left the court with athletic trainer Keon Weise and did not return to the game.

Late in the half, Van Gundy received his first technical foul of the season. With Orlando trailing 61-42, a referee whistled Wafer for a questionable offensive foul after Wafer simply appeared to take a baseline jumper.

Van Gundy complained, and those gripes generated the technical.

The Hawks finished the half with 62 points — the highest point total for a Magic opponent in a first half this season and just one point shy of the highest point total by a Magic opponent in any half this season.

“They give us problems with or without Dwight,” Jason Richardson said.

True.

But without Howard, those problems were even more severe.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

Joe Johnson finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which had lost three of four. Hawks coach Larry Drew rested all of his starters in the fourth quarter.

Rookie Kemba Walker came off the bench to lead Charlotte with 21 points. Gerald Henderson added 15 for the Bobcats, whose NBA-worst record dropped to 7-45. They have lost nine straight.

Willie Green scored 17, Marvin Williams had 14 and Jannero Pargo finished with 12 in reserve roles for the Hawks.

Charlotte never led after Smith’s short hook shot put Atlanta up 17-16 midway through the first.

Atlanta pulled away by outscoring the Bobcats 34-19 in the second quarter.

Teague split two defenders to covert a three-point play at the 3:35 mark of the second to make it 53-39.

Driving from left side of the perimeter, Teague left his feet for a layup, but had his first attempt nearly blocked. He pulled the ball back down, though, and floated toward the baseline to bank in the shot.

Smith, who followed with a 20-foot jump shot at the 2-minute mark to give the Hawks a 16-point lead, beat Eduardo Najera for a defensive rebound in the final minute and made a one-handed pass to Johnson at halfcourt. Joe Johnson passed to Ivan Johnson for dunk that made it 59-42.

D.J. Augustin started for the 39th time in his 41 games despite falling and hurting his left knee in the Bobcats’ five-point loss Tuesday at Toronto. Augustin, who managed just two points in less than 11 minutes, was already battling tendinitis in his right knee.

Coach Paul Silas said before the game that Augustin is still Charlotte’s starting point guard, though Walker got the nod against Toronto. Walker played 33 minutes against Atlanta, second-most on the team.

Charlotte center Byron Mullens, who pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds Tuesday at Toronto, finished with seven rebounds. The third-year center had 20 points in each of the past two games, but finished with eight.

Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Matt Carroll scored 12 points, Derrick Brown had 11 and Reggie Williams 10 for the Bobcats.

– NOTES: Hawks coach Larry Drew had everyone on his roster available except for C Al Horford (left pectoral surgery) and Vladimir Radmanovich (back). Pargo, who missed 10 games with an appendectomy, played 16 minutes. … Bobcats F Corey Maggette missed his third straight game with a strained right Achilles tendon. He also missed a combined 20 games with strained left hamstring and bruised back.

Read More: Marvin Williams (F – ATL), Josh Smith (F – ATL), Jannero Pargo (G – ATL), Reggie Williams (F – CHA), Gerald Henderson (G – CHA), Jeff Teague (G – ATL), Byron Mullens (F – CHA), Kemba Walker (G – CHA), Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks got a big first half from Josh Smith and lead the Charlotte Bobcats 61-44 at halftime. After taking a 27-25 lead at the end of the first quarter, Atlanta exploded in the second outscoring Charlotte 34-19 to take control.

Josh Smith continued is splendid play hitting eight of 11 shots for 18 points. Smith also has six rebounds and three assists. Jeff Teague added 13 points and three assists while Marvin Williams scored seven off the bench.

Kemba Walker was just about the lone bright spot for the Bobcats scoring 11 points off the bench in the first half. Gerald Henderson, Reggie Williams and Byron Mullens finished the half with eight points each.

Atlanta hit 60 percent of its shots in the first half as they had their way with the Charlotte defense. Jannero Pargo made his return to action after having an appendectomy a little over two weeks ago. Pargo played three minutes and handed out two assists in the first half.

For more on this game Hawks fans should check out Peachtree Hoops and Bobcats fans should visit Rufus On Fire. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation’s NBA Basketball Page.

Elton Brand scored 13 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 95-90 comeback win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Andre Iguodala scored 18, and Brand had 10 rebounds to go with his 10-for-12 shooting.

Coming off a 21-point loss to lowly Washington on Friday that knocked them out of first place in the Atlantic Division and down to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers earned a hard-fought win against a team ahead of them in the standings.

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 34 points and Joe Johnson had 15. The Hawks have lost three of four after winning four straight.

The 76ers pulled within a half-game of Boston in the Atlantic. They had been in first place _ either alone or tied _ since Dec. 28, but fell behind after losing six of nine. They’re seeking their first division title since Allen Iverson led them to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Brand took over with Philadelphia trailing 68-62 in the fourth quarter. He scored eight points during an 11-4 run that put Philadelphia up 73-72. Brand had two three-point plays in that stretch. He hit another short jumper to extend the lead to 77-73, then had two key assists after getting double-teamed inside. Brand fed Jrue Holiday for a 3-pointer that made it 80-75, then found Iguodala open for another 3 to increase the lead to 83-77.

Brand grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled driving to the basket and made a free throw. He got another offensive rebound off his miss on the second attempt, and Philadelphia led the rest of the way.

After the Hawks got within 88-86 on Marvin Williams’ 3, Brand nailed a 14-footer to give the Sixers a 4-point cushion with 1:30 left.

The Sixers are 9-14 after a 20-9 start. They haven’t had a winning record since the 2004-05 season.

Atlanta is one game up on Philadelphia for the sixth spot in the East.

Down 39-34 in the second quarter, the Sixers finished with a 9-2 run to take a 43-41 lead into halftime. Iguodala hit a 3-pointer to start it off and ended the run with a turnaround jumper.

Notes: The Sixers won the season series 3-0. … Hawks F Jerry Stackhouse missed the game because of a family emergency. … Hawks F Tracy McGrady didn’t make the trip because of an illness. … The Sixers have held opponents under 100 points in 21 of the past 22 games. … The Hawks are 20-5 when Smith scores 20 or more points. … Earlier in the day, the Flyers lost 4-3 to Ottawa in a shootout in a day-night, two-sport doubleheader at the Wells Fargo Center.

In a heartbreaking game, the Utah Jazz succumbed to the Atlanta Hawks and to fatigue in the first-ever quadruple overtime in franchise history. Atlanta, in the third of a back-to-back-to-back series, had just enough in the tank to sneak out with the 139-133 victory.

In an unbelievable game full of dramatics, big shots and periods of ineptitude by both teams, Utah and Atlanta battled for 68 minutes, with the Hawks pulling things out in the 67th minute. The Jazz came out flat in the first half, falling behind by as much as 17. A energetic and exciting third quarter brought them back into the fray, with Utah going up by as many as four.

Staggering statistics: With so many storylines, the numbers will help tell the story.

• 272 points total, with 19 ties and 14 lead changes.
• Each team had 64 rebounds.
• There were 233 field goal attempts, with the Jazz shooting just 38.9 percent from the floor (49 of 126). 82 free throws were shot (as 68 fouls were whistled).
• For such a high-scoring affair, only 12 three-pointers were made — six by each squad.
• Remarkably, there were only 20 total turnovers in the game.
• Each team have seven players in double figure scoring, with Joe Johnson pacing all with 37 points.

Shoulder to the grindstone: With the game lasting three hours and 16 minutes, a look at the minute totals is mind-boggling. All five Jazz starters played 50 or more minutes, with Gordon Hayward going the longest at 57 minutes. Paul Millsap had 52 and Al Jefferson 51, before each of them fouled out in the final overtime. Hayward, C.J. Miles and Devin Harris went the entire stretch runs, all playing the final 26 minutes — including all four extra periods.

For Atlanta, three players played over 50 minutes as well. Hawks forward Josh Smith fouled out after just 30 minutes.

Missed opportunities: Utah was lucky enough to have the opportunity to win the game at the end of regulation and the first three overtimes. Here’s the run-down:

• At the end of regulation, Paul Millsap missed a ten-footer at the buzzer.
• Devin Harris missed a long three-pointer at the end of the first overtime.
• After sharpshooter Joe Johnson calmly drained a smooth three-pointer, Devin Harris missed a 20-foot jumper. Harris had made a jumper the play before for Utah, giving the short-lived three-point cushion.
• Once again, Millsap had the ball and shot a heavily contested 18-footer that banged off the rim.

David Smith is providing instant analysis for Deseret News’ Utah Jazz coverage this season. He works for LDS Philanthropies and also blogs for the Utah Jazz 360 website. He can be reached at mechakucha1@gmail.com or on Twitter at davidjsmith1232.

ATLANTA — Lucky number seven wasn’t quite in the works for the Jazz Sunday night in Atlanta. Utah (26-23) saw seven of its players score in double figures in a 139-133 quadruple-overtime defeat against Atlanta (30-20).

Guards: Just one game removed from having arguably his best game of the season, Devin Harris left a lot to be desired in Georgia after shooting just 4-18 from the field. However, C.J. Miles’ 17 points means that the seventh-year swingman has scored in double figures in three of the past four games. Hawk point guard Jeff Teague was limited to 4-14 shooting, though he made 10-11 from the charity and had nine assists, 4.5 above his average. GRADE: C

Forwards: Like most NBA forwards, starters Gordon Hayward and Paul Millsap had difficulty keeping up with athletes Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. The Atlanta stars inflicted major hurt, combining for 59 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Millsap’s 25 points and 13 rebounds were a measure toward providing an equalizer — before fouling out — but Hayward shot just 4-15 from the field. GRADE: C+

Centers: It only took Al Jefferson 27 shot attempts to score 28 points, though he was out-dueled by Zaza Pachulia on the glass, 20-17. Jefferson’s rebound tally marked his highest total for the season, though Pachulia’s tally certainly exceeded his 7.4 per-game average. GRADE: B+

Bench: The Atlanta bench out-scored Utah’s 33-27 and was key in the final overtime, when Burks and Favors entered the game in place of Millsap and Jefferson, with both fouling out. With 10 points and five rebounds, Alec Burks once again provided solid minutes. Burks has now scored in double figures in five of the past eight contests. Derrick Favors’ 14 points means that the big 20-year-old has now registered double figures in six of the past eight games. Jamaal Tinsley’s 13 minutes were nothing that Earl Watson couldn’t have provided. GRADE: B

Overall: The Jazz couldn’t have much better momentum on their side had they been able to win their third straight win away from the friendly confines they find in Salt Lake City. A 39 percent shooting display didn’t help. Sunday evening’s contest marks one of those games that might have catapulted the team to another few wins in a row. That’s no guarantee after a tough defeat. GRADE: B-

Rhett Wilkinson is a journalism and political science major at Utah State University. He has previously been an intern for the Deseret News. He can be reached at rhett.wilkinson@yahoo.com or at Twitter: wilklogan.