NEW YORK (AP) — J.R. Smith had 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Carmelo Anthony added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the city rival Brooklyn Nets 110-81 Wednesday night to extend a late-season playoff push.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points a game after spraining his right ankle to help the Knicks win for the 12th time in 15 games, dominating a team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference since the new year. New York, which entered a game behind Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, won its third straight.

The Knicks made 24 of 36 shots in taking a 63-38 halftime time in front of new president Phil Jackson, finishing at a season-high 60 percent and outrebounding Brooklyn 41-23.

Joe Johnson scored 16 points for the Nets, who had won three straight.

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