New York 131, Utah 109

Carmelo Anthony erupted for 34 points and Amar'e Stoudemire had 31 to lead the New York Knicks to a 131-109 rout of the visiting Utah Jazz Monday night.

Toney Douglas added 20 points on the strength of five 3-pointers as the Knicks (33-29) closed to within 3 1/2 games of idle Atlanta for sixth in the Eastern Conference. The trio combined to shoot 75 percent from the field against a porous Jazz defense that has allowed more than 100 points in six straight contests.

Al Jefferson led the way with 36 points and 12 rebounds for Utah (33-31), which fell to 2-8 since coach Jerry Sloan abruptly retired last month. Jefferson outscored the rest of the Jazz's starting five, which combined for 21 points on 6-of-22 shooting.

Anthony, Stoudemire and Douglas shredded the Jazz for 55 first-half points as the Knicks enjoyed a 66-48 advantage at halftime. Stoudemire and Anthony kept rolling after the break, scoring 20 of New York's first 23 points to extend the lead to as many as 30.

Both men surpassed the 30-point mark midway through the third quarter, then sat out the entire final period as New York improved to 5-3 since acquiring Anthony from the Denver Nuggets before the trade deadline.

Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko left the game in the first half with back spasms and didn't return.

• New York will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Knicks have a W/L % of .594 after a win and .467 after a loss.
• Utah will play their next game on the road against Toronto . The Jazz have a W/L % of .485 after a win and .548 after a loss.