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DALLAS -- Carmelo Anthony gave the Knicks an early lead and his New York teammates made it stand up. Anthony scored 15 of his 19 points in the first quarter to lead five Knicks -- three of them reserves -- in double figures and New York held off a late rally to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 92-80 Sunday night. New York led by as many as 19 points and held on when the Mavericks got within six in the last minute and a half to finish 2-1 on a four-day trip through Texas. "Its been a successful trip," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We lose a two-point game in Houston in which we had an opportunity to win. We played great in San Antonio. And to come in here and beat Dallas, whos playing well at home and playing well this season, it should be a boost for our team." Kenyon Martin scored a season-high 14 points, starter Andrea Bargnani had in 13, Amare Stoudemire added 11 and Tim Hardaway scored eight of his 10 in the fourth quarter. In addition, Beno Udrih had eight assists, Iman Shumpert scored seven points in the last 2 minutes and J.R. Smith had seven points and seven rebounds. "I thought our bench was fantastic, and we are going to need our bench to play like they played tonight," Woodson said. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle agreed. "Everybody on their team played well. Name a guy that didnt." Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks, who lost their fourth consecutive home game. Their previous low score had been 87 points twice this season. The Knicks had allowed a season-low 78 in a victory at Chicago on Dec. 11. Anthony scored six points during a 12-0 run in the first that gave the Knicks a 24-13 lead. He also led New York with four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the quarter. He finished with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. After that, Dallas Shawn Marion picked up his man-to-man defence on Anthony. He didnt score in the second quarter, but the Knicks still outscored the Mavericks 23-18 for a 52-35 halftime lead. Bargnani had seven points in the second. "I sprained my (right) ankle on the second play of the game," Marion said, "and I hurt my Achilles a little bit. "I decided I had to make it hard for (Anthony). I was able to help the team after that." In the third quarter, Martin scored six points in a 1:13 span that gave New York a 58-39 lead. He returned after missing Fridays game at Houston because of a sore left ankle. "It was a little tender," Martin said, "but I knew Tyson (Chandler) was under the weather. At that point, it was mind over matter." Martin filled in after starting centre Chandler left because of illness, and had 10 of the Knicks 15 points in the quarter. "I didnt even know if Kenyon was going to play tonight," Woodson said. "We needed all of Kenyon tonight to carry this win." The Mavericks had shot 36 per cent (13 for 36) from the field in the first half and were 0 for 8 on 3-pointers. Dallas missed 8 of 17 free throws, including four by Nowitzki. He was 3 for 7 from the field and 5 for 9 from the foul line to finish with 11 points and seven rebounds in the half. The 35 points were the Mavericks fewest in the first half this season. The Hawks held them to 34 in the second half of an 88-87 loss at Atlanta Nov. 29. The Mavericks rallied from the 19-point deficit at 58-39 with an 18-7 run that reduced New Yorks lead to eight. That run followed a blistering timeout message from Carlisle. "We didnt play well defensively. We made a very poor showing in the first half. I didnt have them ready. I will take the blame," Carlisle said. The third quarter ended 67-57. Dallas pulled within six at 84-78 with 1:33 to play on Monta Ellis jump shot. Shumpert came back with a 3-pointer. "Melo found me when I was open," Shumpert said. "I think they just forgot about me, left me over there. When youre wide open, you just got to knock it down." It was Shumperts only successful 3-pointer in three attempts against Dallas, but he was 13 for 17 (76 per cent) in the three Texas games. For Dallas, Ellis and Vince Carter scored 13 points, Jose Calderon had 12 and DeJuan Blair added 11. "They got hot early, and we didnt really start till late," Mavericks rookie guard Shane Larkin said. "Late in the game, we didnt really have any legs." NOTES: Chandler left because of an upper respiratory illness after playing the first 4:25. . Metta World Peace was not with the Knicks for the fourth consecutive game. He has said he would undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy Monday in New York. New York coach Mike Woodson said, "Well know more when we get back." . This was just the fourth time the Knicks have won as many as two games in 14 three-game trips to Texas. . Carter played in his 1,100th NBA game. . Nowitzki had one steal, leaving him one short of 1,000 for his career. . Center Samuel Dalembert was benched for one game because he was late for practice Saturday. He said he hasnt been able to sleep at night, and "Im taking steps to make sure that doesnt happen again." Cheap Air Max China . -- Michigan coach John Beilein is willing to give Nik Stauskas a little leeway when it comes to shot selection. Cheap Air Max Online . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. http://www.cheapairmaxchinafreeshipping.com/ . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. Authentic Air Max Wholesale . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. Wholesale Air Max Shoes . - The Mavericks built a 12-point lead with 2:50 to play, gave away all but two points of it, and still managed to hang on.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- There were moments of frustration for Kansas coach Bill Self, moments where hed angrily call a timeout or attend a post-game news conference and glumly bemoan another uneven performance. There never was a moment where he lost faith in his team. Now, after enduring the nations most brutal non-conference schedule, the sixth-ranked Jayhawks are proving to be exactly what the pundits thought theyd be: The Big 12s premier team, one that already has a substantial lead in the conference as the race nears its midway point. "We have grown, but were just now to the middle of the season. Thats whats so strange," Self said. "The big thing is that were playing with more energy and were starting to understand how were going to score -- not just running an offence to run an offence. Were not a tough team by any stretch, but are playing tougher than we did earlier in the season." Thats certainly been evident in the results. After a loss to fifth-ranked San Diego State ended the Jayhawks 68-game non-conference winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas has ripped off seven straight wins through arguably the toughest part of its league schedule. It began with a win at No. 23 Oklahoma, and continued with wins over four straight teams that were ranked in the Top 25 -- Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor. After a blowout win at TCU, the Jayhawks beat the No. 16 Cyclones for a second time on Wednesday night. Now, theyll head to No. 25 Texas with essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12. You catch the game on TSN2 on Saturday at 12am et/9pm pt. "Im not surprised at all," junior guard Naadir Tharpe said. "I knew it was going to be a matter of time until everybody just let water run off their back and start going out there and just playing. That is what I feel like dudes are doing right now." The most important of them may be Andrew Wiggins, the highly touted freshman. After fits and starts to begin his college career, the 6-foot-8 swingman and projected lottery pick in the Junee draft has gone on a tear.ddddddddddddWiggins scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Horned Frogs, and then bested it with 29 points against the Cyclones earlier this week. Hes averaging more than 24 points over his past three games. "I would say I feel more comfortable on the court," Wiggins said this week. "A lot of things are slowing down for me and my teammates are looking for me." Hes also starting to create his own shot, something that he was reticent to do early in the season, prompting Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to say hes "oozing with confidence. "Thats scary," Hoiberg said. "With that athleticism, that length and that speed, the kids got it all. When hes knocking down shots, not too many better." There arent many teams better than the Jayhawks right now. Since the start of league play, the nine-time defending champions are putting up a Big 12-leading 84 points per game. Theyre just a half-point out of second place in scoring defence, and their scoring margin of 12 points per game is seven better than second-place Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks (16-4, 7-0 Big 12) also lead the league in field-goal and 3-point percentage, rebounding defence and margin, blocked shots, assists and, well, you get the idea. "They have a special group," TCU coach Trent Johnson said. "At every position, they have somebody who can score. They can attack you, so you really have to be on your toes." After the Jayhawks, Texas may be the next hottest team in the Big 12 heading into Saturdays game. The Longhorns (16-4, 5-2) have rattled off five straight wins, the last three coming against ranked teams in Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. The Jayhawks will represent the first time in school history that Texas will have played four consecutive Top 25 opponents. "Theyre young. Theyre not quite as young as we are, but theyre young and fast, probably as fast as any team well play," Self said. "Theyre obviously playing their tails off." ' ' '