By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Chuancy Billups are giving New York a "Big Three" of its own.
Anthony scored 29 points and Stoudemire blocked LeBron James' go ahead lay up attempt in the final minute of the Knicks stunning 91-86 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
"The bigger the game, the bigger the stage, the bigger they play," Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, according to the Associated Press.
Billups added 16 points and was New York's best player in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. The veteran point guard had two key steals and hit a 30-foot 3-pointer over the outstretched hand of Dwyane Wade to put the Knicks up 85-84 with 1:01 left in the game.
"We've got some really clutch players on this team," Billups told the Daily News. "If it comes down to the last two, three minutes, we feel like we have the advantage."
Stoudemire shot 8-for-14 to finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony added 9 rebounds for the Knicks.
Sunday's game had a playoff-like atmosphere with fans standing on their feet to cheer the end-to-end action in the fourth quarter.
"These games like this are fun," Anthony told the AP. "It brings the best out of everybody."
New York's defense forced Miami to commit 20 turnovers and shoot 43.2 percent for the game. James had 27 points and Chris Bosh added 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Heat, who threatened to run away with the game in the first half.
The Knicks erased a 15-point deficit with a 16-0 run to end the first half, punctuated by Bill Walker's buzzer-beating 3-pointer off the glass as the second quarter ended.
New York improved to 2-1 since acquiring Anthony and Billups in a 12-player trade on Feb. 21.
