LONDON — Back in London and back on the basketball court, Carmelo Anthony went right back to his winning ways.
The Knicks star was the main attraction at the O2 Arena on Thursday, five months after he helped the United States win the Olympic gold medal at the same venue.
This time, he led the New York Knicks over the Detroit Pistons, 102-87 in the third regular-season NBA game played in the British capital.
“It felt good out there,” said Anthony, who scored 18 points in the first half as the Knicks (25-13) jumped out to a big early lead. “I definitely had some flashbacks out there. Running out there on the court, just being in the O2 Arena.”
Part of Anthony’s strong showing against the Pistons (14-25) may be attributed to his diet. He recently ended a two-week fasting period, and definitely seems to be getting his strength back.
“I felt better than I was the last couple of games,” Anthony said. “I’m back eating right, eating what I’m supposed to be eating.”
Anthony has now scored at least 20 points in 25 straight games, extending the longest such streak of his career.
“He got off to such a hot start, and then he just kind of played as the game came to him,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “He was getting double-teamed and I thought he did a great job in sacrificing the basketball, which he has to do.”
Anthony’s hot start was no surprise for Pistons coach Lawrence Frank.
“You know going in, there’s no secrets, he’s the best first-quarter scorer in the league,” Frank said.
Amare Stoudemire added 17 points for the Knicks and J.R. Smith scored 16. Will Bynum led the Pistons with 22 points.
The Pistons were the home team at the O2 Arena, but the crowd certainly favoured the Knicks and Anthony.
It helped.
“This goes to show you, our sport is global, there’s no doubt about that,” Woodson said. “The fans tonight were fantastic both ways, especially for us.”
After Tayshaun Prince netted a pair of free throws for the opening points of the game, the Knicks went on tear.
Tyson Chandler started it off with a dunk, and Anthony soon followed with a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched between Jason Kidd’s 3-pointer and Chris Copeland’s layup.
Iman Shumpert, in his season debut after recovering from knee surgery, nailed another 3-pointer soon after to complete the 16-0 run and put the Knicks in control.
“The Knicks got off to a great start,” Bynum said. “We were kind of playing catch up from then on.”
Trailing 56-41 at the half, the Pistons mounted a third-quarter comeback. They scored 10 straight points midway through the period amid their own 16-2 run to cut the lead to 67-63.
Anthony ended the run with a pass rather than another basket.
The Knicks forward drilled a pass across the baseline to Steve Novak, who nailed a jumper. Stoudemire then sank a free throw before Smith hit a jump shot after running the court with his own rebound. Anthony finished off the third quarter with a lay-in to make it 75-63.
In the fourth, the Pistons briefly cut the lead to single digits when Bynum scored seven straight points to make it 83-75, but the Knicks pulled away again — this time for good.
“We came here to win a game, so it’s very, very disappointing,” Frank said. “This is not a vacation. We’re not tourists. We came here to play a competition ... on an international stage, which is a privilege and an honour to be selected, so it’s disappointing that we came up short and didn’t play our best.”
The Knicks had won only three of their last eight games heading into Thursday’s action, but they now have won two straight and next host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
For the Pistons, who next host the Boston Celtics on Sunday, it’s their second loss in a row.