Carmelo Anthony

Nice to see you too Lakers center Dwight Howard , on the return of teammate Pau Gasol on Tuesday against Charlotte after an eight-game absence: "I'm just happy he's back and hopefully the rest of the old guys will be back soon. " It's crowded in here Ejected New York forward Carmelo Anthony , on seeing Knicks Coach Mike Woodson and center Tyson Chandler in the locker room with him before the end of his team's loss to Chicago on Friday: "I was actually in here, and then I just heard the crowd screaming and yelling, and I walked to the hallway, and Woody was walking back.

The Lakers (9-13) visit the New York Knicks (16-5) on Thursday night, hoping to shake a three-game losing streak as they face the first-place team in the Eastern Conference. New York has been a revelation this season, despite playing without Amare Stoudemire (knee).  It has already beaten the Miami Heat twice, won in San Antonio and has yet to lose at home in eight tries. The Lakers have been in a tailspin, struggling without Steve Nash (leg), Pau Gasol (knees) and Steve Blake (abdominal strain)

NEW YORK - How bad is it? I see Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni having lunch Thursday with Jack McCallum, who wrote about his time with D'Antoni in Phoenix in a book: ":07 Seconds or Less. " And I'm asking D'Antoni if he's already working on a sequel: "24 Games or Less: My Time With the Lakers. " This is before the Knicks are running the Lakers out of Madison Square Garden and before Carmelo Anthony gets hurt so the Lakers can rally and make Magic Johnson sweat a little.

Knicks 116 - Lakers 107 (final) The Lakers (9-14) lost their fourth-straight game on Thursday night, falling to the New York Knicks (17-5) 113-107.  After a dreadful first quarter - allowing 41 points - the Lakers fell behind by as many as 26 before finally gaining their bearings. A late, long push saw the Lakers close within six late but the comeback fell short. Carmelo Anthony had a tremendous start, scoring 30 points in just 23 minutes but he left early in the third with an ankle injury.

The rumors of Kobe Bryant's demise may be greatly exaggerated, but they're not exactly false. The latest evidence is Bryant's player ranking in NBA 2K13. The 2K Sports video game franchise just announced that Bryant's player ranking (93) trails Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant (94), who graces this year's cover with Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose and Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Yet, Bryant still finishes ahead of New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (92) and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (90)

Below are five things to watch in Team USA's gold-medal match with Spain on Sunday. 1. Will Kobe Bryant have another memorable gold-medal performance? With minutes winding down on the clock, Bryant pursed his lips. He had just drawn a foul on a successful three-pointer with 3:10 remaining that eventually cemented Team USA's 118-107 gold-medal win over Spain in the 2008 Olympics. That play also marked the end of Bryant scoring 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. Will Bryant provide an encore in the 2012 gold-medal game in London?

Below are five things to take from Team USA's 109-83 win over Argentina on Friday. Team USA will face Spain in the gold-medal game at 7 a.m. Pacific time Sunday. 1. Kobe Bryant had a sizzling start. Throw in Bryant recently finding his shooting stroke. Mix in his giddiness over the Lakers acquiring Dwight Howard. And what do you have? Oh, nothing more than Bryant having a sizzling start against Argentina and showing off his lively legs. He scored 13 points on five-of-10 shooting.

LONDON -- Kobe Bryant took over the first quarter, Kevin Durant handled the third, Carmelo Anthony made his mark in the fourth and LeBron James displayed his dominance throughout. Any doubt why the U.S. men's basketball team destroyed Argentina, 109-83, in an Olympics men's basketball semifinal on Friday night at North Greenwich Arena? It's called scoring depth. The U.S. advances to Sunday's gold-medal game against Spain in a rematch of the final won by the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

LONDON — Oh, great. You guys again. The shot heard 'round the arena took place when the U.S. played Argentina earlier this week, a confusing and appalling scene when Carmelo Anthony was, to select a local metaphor, punched in the crown jewels by Argentina's backup point guard. He rolled around the court for a while as teammates Tyson Chandler and Kevin Durant sniped at the 5-foot-10 guard, Chandler taking several menacing steps toward him before being restrained and Durant receiving a rare technical foul for, uh, being a tad vocal.