Amare Stoudemire to sit Game 4?

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Amare Stoudemire played through pain in Game 3 of the Knicks-Celticsfirst-round series. If Stoudemire is in the same amount of pain on Sunday afternoon, he will sit out of Game 4.

"I don't want to do too much to reinjure it. We're just going to make a smart decision for tomorrow's game," said Stoudemire, who played 32 minutes in Game 3 with a pulled back muscle.

Stoudemire injured his back on a dunk attempt during warm-ups prior to Game 2. He sat out of the second half of Game 2 with back spasms and was in so much pain that he had to stand during his postgame news conference. He also needed a team trainer to help him put on his socks and shoes after the game.

An MRI on Wednesday revealed that Stoudemire had a pulled back muscle. He sat out of practice Thursday, staying home in Manhattan to receive treatment on the injury.

He worked out in the pool at the Knicks' practice facility Friday morning and had to make it through a workout an hour before tipoff to be cleared to take the court.

Stoudemire started on Friday night but struggled throughout the game. He finished with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and pulled down three rebounds. He estimated that he was playing at less than 50 percent. He said on Saturday that he has to feel better to take the floor Sunday in Game 4.

"It has to be better. I knew last night I wasn't 100 percent. I wasn't 50 percent last night. I was pretty much in pain the whole game, from start to finish. I just don't want to further injure the injury," Stoudemire said, who added that his back was feeling worse on Saturday after having played on it the previous night. "We understand how bright the future is here with the organization. ... We want to continue that success out here in the next few years. So we don't want to damage anything by overdoing it."

The Knicks trail the Celtics, 3-0, in the best-of-seven series. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series.

"At this point in time right now, we've got to lay it out there on the court ... the X's and O's go out the window and we've just got to play basketball," said Carmelo Anthony, who followed his 42-point night in Game 2 with 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting on Friday. "... I don't want to get swept, we don't want to get swept so we've just got to go out there and leave it all out there on the floor."

Avoiding a sweep will be far more difficult for New York if it is without injured point guardChauncey Billups. Billups, who has missed Games 2 and 3 with a strained left knee, is doubtful for Game 4, according to coach Mike D'Antoni.

D'Antoni also said that guard Toney Douglas, who has replaced Billups at point guard, suffered a right shoulder injury. D'Antoni doesn't believe the injury will hinder Douglas on Sunday. Douglas had 15 points, three assists and three turnovers in the Knicks' 113-96 Game 3 loss.

Injuries to key players have decimated the Knicks in their first playoff appearance since 2004.

Stoudemire was particularly frustrated with his ailment because of its fluky origin.

Stoudemire first hurt his back while dunking the ball with one hand after hitting the backboard with the other during Game 2 warm-ups, a dunk that he completes prior to every game.

The All-Star power forward was coming off of a 28-point, 11-rebound performance in Game 1. He has averaged just 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the two games since the injury.

"We felt that we had a great chance to win that game and I was totally ready to go, to dominate for the rest of the series," Stoudemire said.

It may sound like Stoudemire is ready to wave the white flag for Game 4, but the the All-Star power forward insisted on Saturday that getting a win is paramount -- for both himself and the Knicks franchise, which hasn't won a playoff game since 2001.

"It would be great to win a game ... but due to the situation right now, a couple guys are injured [so] it's going to be tough," he said.

The Knicks have been cautious with Stoudemire throughout the season. The $100 million free-agent signee has a history of serious ailments. But D'Antoni said that the decision to play in Game 4 will rest solely with Stoudemire, who went through walk-through plays only during Saturday's practice.

"He wants to push through it so if he wants to do it, then I want to go with him," the coach said.

Dwayne Wade sits out practice, questionable vs. Bucks

MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade spent the end of Miami's practice Tuesday morning sitting on the sideline talking to team president Pat Riley. That was the most action he saw all day.

Wade skipped the workout to rest his sore right quadriceps, which he injured when he took a knee from New Jersey Nets forward Travis Outlaw in a game Sunday. He is considered questionable for the Heat's Wednesday home game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

"I'm going to see how I feel. I'm going to be day to day," Wade said. "I'm going to get treatment and therapy and make a decision tomorrow."

With the start of the playoffs less than two weeks away, Wade will have to weigh taking time off to let the potentially nagging injury heal or continue to help the Heat fight for playoff positioning.

Currently, Miami leads the Boston Celtics by a half-game for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat host Boston on Sunday.

"We're battling for [No.] 2 right now, you want to be out there," Wade said. "You also want to make sure going down the stretch with the playoffs coming and big games this weekend that you make the right decision."

The Heat's bigger decision during the next 24 to 48 hours might not involve Wade, however.

According to a league source, the Heat are seriously considering signing free-agent centerEddy Curry to a contract for the rest of the season. Curry worked out for the team recently and, sources said, is waiting for an answer from the Heat.

Miami would have to cut a player to make room for Curry, who has not played this season and played in only 10 games in the past three, all with the New York Knicks. Curry has been working out in Chicago with trainer Tim Glover, attempting to get in shape to provide late-season help.

According to sources, Curry's camp and the Heat have been in contact since he reached a buyout agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves in February. Miami has been his preferred destination all along.

It may not factor into their decision, but the Heat have not seen encouraging signs from injured forward Udonis Haslem in his return from foot surgery.

Haslem, who accompanied the team on its recent four-day road trip, has experienced soreness following workouts and has had to scale back the frequency and intensity of the sessions.

When Haslem tore the Lisfranc ligament in his foot in November, it seemed like a season-ending injury, but the team was holding out hope he could return in late March or early April. As of now, coach Erik Spoelstra said, there is no timetable for a return.

Carmelo Anthony: Game against Magic is a must-win

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- For his first 19 games as a member of the New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony preached patience when he talked about the team's struggles.

Apparently, the time for patience is now over. Anthony said Monday's game against Orlando is a must-win.

"For our own confidence, our own satisfaction, it's a must-win for us," Anthony said after the team's shootaround Monday morning. "I think if we approach the game like that tonight, good things will happen."

The Knicks have lost six straight and are three games below .500. They are just 7-12 since trading for Anthony on Feb. 21 and enter play Monday in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, three games ahead of Indiana for the conference's eighth and final playoff spot.

The Knicks took Sunday off after a 114-106 road loss to Charlotte on Saturday night. Coach Mike D'Antoni held a morning shootaround on the day of a home game for the first time this season.

He said after the shootaround that the team has struggled to play with intensity for a full 48 minutes, adding that it was time to "draw a line in the sand and play as hard as we can play." The coach also was concerned that losing would take a toll on the Knicks' mental approach.

"We're not a real confident team right now because we're losing all the time," he said.

The Knicks have lost all three games to Orlando this season, the last coming at the Garden on March 23 when they were outscored by 11 in the fourth quarter of a 111-99 loss. Fourth-quarter struggles have been a common theme throughout the Knicks' recent skid. They've also struggled against the teams behind them in the standings, losing eight games to teams with losing records since acquiring Anthony.

Anthony expressed confidence that the Knicks would improve their play late in games.

"Me and Amare [Stoudemire] are two guys who can close out games, Chauncey [Billups] is a guy who can close out games," he said. "We've been in situations where we close out games before so ... we've just got to figure out what's really going on out there in the fourth quarter and just get it done."

Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh expressed concern that the team's side -- New York has lost lost nine of 10 -- is affecting his coach.

"It's not easy to lose anywhere in the franchise but the coach is on the front line and it can get old," Walsh said. "You're going to go home at night, not sleep. The only thing I've said to Mike, 'Don't get overwrought with this thing,' because most coaches do. They go home and they're thinking about it, they don't sleep. Some of them come in early in the morning and go over film and that kind of stuff. I hope he's not doing that because I'm sure he's doing every single thing he can do."

Boston Celtics move to sing Carlos Arroyo, according to source

WALTHAM, Mass. -- In need of a veteran ball handler to back up point guard Rajon Rondo, the Boston Celtics moved Saturday to sign Carlos Arroyo for the remainder of the season, a league source confirmed.

With Delonte West sidelined by a sprained right ankle, the Celtics were leaning on rookieAvery Bradley as the primary reserve ball handler on an overhauled second unit. With Rondo's playing time escalating, including a team-high 42 minutes in Friday's win over theGolden State Warriors, Boston decided to use a roster spot that will open with Chris Johnson's expiring 10-day contract to add Arroyo.

Arroyo, a ninth-year point guard, was jettisoned by the rival Miami Heat earlier this week to make room for bought-out Mike Bibby. Arroyo averaged 5.6 points and 2 assists per game in 49 appearances with the Heat, starting 42 games before his departure.

The 31-year-old Arroyo also has 34 games of playoff experience, including being with Miami for last year's first-round battle with the Celtics.

While the move is unlikely to tweak the Heat much, the Celtics do add a player who spent much of the season with a rival (certainly a benefit for any late-season addition). Boston also won a tug-of-war with the Heat earlier this week for the services of backup forwardTroy Murphy.

Arroyo is unlikely to have much of a long-term impact if West is able to get (and stay) healthy, but Boston hasn't had a pure backup ball handler behind Rondo very often over the past two seasons and it provides yet another veteran body whom Rivers can toss out there when the situation allows. Projecting a 12-man roster for the postseason, it seems unlikely Arroyo would even make that cut should Boston get all of its troops healthy (a big if for a Celtics team battered and bruised all season).

Johnson said he's not disappointed about not getting re-signed by the Celtics and that he enjoyed his time in Boston, but it's back to Dakota of the D-League for the lanky center.

"I worked hard, did whatever I could do in 10 days," said Johnson, who saw limited action after a brilliant debut in Denver for a short-handed Celtics squad that made three moves and traded away five players (including two centers) at the deadline. "Everybody saw I work hard and I felt like I left a mark."

The Celtics wouldn't mind crossing paths with Johnson down the road, particularly if he can add muscle mass to his frame. But they were brutally honest about their needs moving forward.

"They just want a guard to give Rondo some rest, especially with [Delonte West] hurt," said Johnson.

NBA RECAP: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks

NEW YORK -- Baron Davis picked up right where LeBron James left off.

It doesn't matter who suits up for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- even the players with names the Knicks don't know. They simply don't lose to New York.

Davis scored 18 points in his Cavaliers debut, leading a stunning rally in the fourth quarter as Cleveland beat New York for the 11th straight time, 119-115 on Friday night.

"It's always great to win at The Garden. The Garden is special, especially playing against a team right now that's getting a lot of coverage and they were prepared to beat us bad and we didn't let that happen," Davis said. "This victory is very sweet because it's a sense of a miniature rivalry brewing here."

J.J. Hickson scored 23 and Luke Harangody also had 18, but the spark came from Davis in his first game since his trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last week. He scored 12 points in the final 6-plus minutes after the Knicks had built a 12-point lead, including a 3-pointer that gave Cleveland a 116-112 lead with 10.6 seconds left.

Amare Stoudemire answered with a 3 for the Knicks. But after a free throw byRamon Sessions, Carmelo Anthony was called for a charging foul after he broke free of Anthony Parker's attempt to hold him, and the last-place Cavaliers beat the Knicks for the third time this season.

"It's a tough loss. I really don't want to say it's embarrassing, but it is a tough loss ... knowing how important it is to take care of home court," said Anthony, who had to ask the name of Cleveland's Samardo Samuels, who took the crucial charge from him. "To lose to them guys tonight, it's a tough one to fathom."

Stoudemire matched a season high with 41 points and Anthony added 29, but the Knicks still haven't defeated the Cavs since Dec. 19, 2007.

"I just think we didn't come with the proper energy that we needed in a game like this. It was a very important game for us, and we didn't quite accept the challenge of beating these guys," Stoudemire said. "And this is a team that's beat us three times this year already, and the motto is to beat the teams we're supposed to beat."

It appeared the skid would end Friday as the Knicks built a series of double-digit leads. But Davis, who hadn't played since the trade because of a sore left knee, made an immediate impact as the NBA's worst team snapped a 26-game road losing streak.

Anthony Carter's 3-pointer sent the Knicks to the fourth quarter with an 88-85 lead, and it seemed their superior talent would take over from there. Anthony made the first basket of the quarter, then found fellow newcomer Shelden Williams for a dunk and a 92-85 lead 45 seconds into the period.

Anthony converted a spinning bucket in the lane with 10:07 remaining, sinking the free throw during a loud "Melo! Melo!" chant, then Stoudemire scored to extend it to 100-88.

But Davis had nine points in a 16-4 spurt, and Hickson and Samuels resumed contesting every New York shot at the rim as Cleveland battled back to tie it at 106 on Sessions' layup with 3:28 to play.

Stoudemire's jumper gave the Knicks a final lead at 112-110 with 58 seconds left, but Parker answered with a go-ahead 3 with 45 seconds remaining. New York failed to score and Cleveland ran the clock down before Davis, wearing No. 85, nailed a 3 from straightaway for a 116-112 advantage.

Stoudemire and Anthony were often unstoppable offensively. But New York badly missed Chauncey Billups down the stretch while he sat out a second straight game with a bruised left thigh.

When James wore the wine and gold, Cleveland would beat the Knicks with talent. Even though he's gone now, the Knicks still haven't been able to solve the Cavaliers. Cleveland was on a 10-game losing streak when it beat New York in overtime in December.

The Cavaliers then simply outworked the Knicks in the second meeting, racking up a 62-42 rebounding advantage in their 115-109 victory last Friday. This time, they snapped a two-game losing streak and showed they could be dangerous the rest of the way with Davis on the perimeter and Hickson attacking the backboards.

"I just think, again, for us it's a process of trying to get better each game," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "Our younger guys are starting to understand what it takes to be a professional athlete in this league."

New York raced to a 22-10 lead midway through the first quarter, but Cleveland hit four 3-pointers late in the period, two by Davis, and tied it at 32 headed to the second. The Knicks pushed it back into double digits halfway through the second, but still couldn't shake the Cavs despite shooting 60.5 percent in the half. New York led 64-58 at the break.

Amile's Game notes
Actress Jessica Alba, a friend of Davis, was seated courtside (which I would've love to see...) .... The Knicks were wearing their home whites for the first time since Feb. 9. They had been wearing blue road uniforms from the 1969-70 championship season as part of the NBA's "hardwood classic" series during their past four home games.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press