(REUTERS) In New York, Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points in his return to the lineup and the New York Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 100-86 on Wednesday night in the third meeting this season between the city rivals.

After two tight games in Brooklyn, the Knicks turned the first one at Madison Square Garden into a rout by dominating the second half. Anthony, who missed two games with a sprained left ankle, moved fine and shot well, though his scoring average against the Nets this season actually dropped to 37 points per game.
J.R. Smith added 19 points and Tyson Chandler had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who bounced back from their first home loss Monday against Houston, improving to 11-1 at MSG.
Joe Johnson scored 17 points for the Nets, who have lost three straight and eight of 10. What once was a deadlock for the Atlantic Division lead after the first meeting is now a six-game advantage for the Knicks.
Deron Williams and Brook Lopez each had 16 points for Brooklyn.
In Atlanta, Kevin Durant set a season-high with 41 points and had 13 rebounds as Oklahoma City held off Atlanta 100-92 for their 12th straight win.
Russell Westbrook added 27 points; 21 in the first half and 11 assists for the Thunder. The Thunder (21-4) improved the NBA’s best record and atoned for a 104-95 home loss to the Hawks on November 4. Oklahoma City are 20-2 since that loss.
The 12 straight wins matches the longest streak for the franchise since 1996, when they had a 14-game winning streak as the Seattle Supersonics. Jeff Teague scored 19 points to lead the Hawks.
Celtics 103, Cavaliers 91: In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 25 of his season-high 40 points in the second half, hitting 10 of his 11 shots after halftime, and Boston beat Cleveland to snap a three-game skid.
Pierce made his first eight shots coming out of the break, including three 3-pointers. He finished 13 of 16 from the field.
Rajon Rondo added 20 points and eight assists for the Celtics. Jason Terry added 15 points.
Kyrie Irving scored 22 points for the Cavs, who played without Anderson Varejao, the NBA’s leading rebounder who sat out with a bruised knee. Rookie Tyler Zeller got his first career start in Varejao’s place and scored 20 points as Cleveland fell to 2-14 on the road.