By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The Knicks were swept out of the playoffs Sunday with a 101-89 loss to the Boston Celtics before a home crowd at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks played without point guard Chauncey Billups, who had a knee strain, but were led by Amar'e Stoudemire, whose scrappy play despite a pulled back muscle led to 19 points, the New York Post reported.
Carmelo Anthony, who was traded from the Denver Nuggets earlier this year, notched 32 points, nine rebounds and three assists, the New York Times reported.
Down by 22 points at the second half, the Knicks hustled to narrow the difference to four points.
But their efforts weren't enough to stop the Celtics, who led for most of the game thanks to scoring drives from Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce, the Post reported.
Both Anthony and Stoudemire promised a better season next year, when the team will have had time to recover from injuries and gel after the Nuggets trade, according to published reports.
"The sky is the limit," Anthony said to the New York Daily News after the loss Sunday.
"He [Stoudemire] is only going to get better and we are only going to get better as a team. I learned a lot from him. I'm sure he learned a lot from me. We are going to make it work," he said to the News.
