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NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks spent $72 million to make Joakim Noah the anchor of their defense.On Monday, they sat him down and turned around a game.Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis each scored 24 points, and the Knicks rolled after a halftime lineup change and beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 93-77.The Knicks benched Noah, their big free-agent signing, starting guard Justin Holiday and moving Porzingis to center in a small lineup. They responded by scoring 31 points in the third quarter after managing just 36 in an ugly first half.Second half was really good. Coach made the decision to play small, Noah said. I didnt get to play, everybody wants to play, but its good that we won. We found a way. It was much-needed.Anthony scored 17 in the third quarter and 20 in the second half after shooting 1 for 6 in the first half. Porzingis finished with 11 rebounds, though coach Jeff Hornacek doesnt think his move to starting center is going to be permanent.Just because it was good in the second half doesnt mean were going to change it, Hornacek said.Harrison Barnes scored 20 points and J.J. Barea had 17 for the Mavericks, who are still without Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams.The remaining lineup was good enough to take a 39-36 halftime lead but got run off the floor once the Knicks returned with a different look.This is where everybody has got to be totally together, help each other out, really focus on doing the little things at a high level, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. I thought the first half we did that. In the second half we had breakdowns.Anthony made a 3-pointer to open the half and later had six straight points in the midst of the Knicks 19-6 run that Holiday capped with a 3-pointer that made it 55-45. New York outscored Dallas 31-12 in the period as the Mavs shot 5 for 20, and it was 67-51 headed to the fourth.Porzingis and Anthony made consecutive 3-pointers that pushed it to 82-64 midway through the period and soon both were on the bench for good.Noah, a defensive-minded center who battled injuries in his final season in Chicago, grabbed six rebounds in 16 scoreless minutes. He didnt play in the second half, while Holiday finished with 16 points.TIP-INSMavericks: Dallas had won five straight and 24 of the last 29 meetings. ... Barnes had scored 25 or more in a career-best three straight games.Knicks: The Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak. ... New York won for the first time in five games this season when scoring fewer than 100 points.DIRK WORKSNowitzki had a lengthy pregame workout on the court, but by then the Mavs had already determined that he would miss his fourth straight game with a sore right Achilles.I think hes really close. Hes feeling a lot better and we just dont want to rush anything, owner Mark Cuban said. Theres no reason to rush anything with him.TAKE TIMEDallas was twice called for technical fouls in the fourth quarter for calling timeout when it had no timeouts remaining.HELPING HANDHornacek asked Carlisle if Nowitzki would work out with Porzingis in September. They couldnt get anything scheduled but both sides hope they can eventually.Dirks a giver, he would love to see every international guy have the same opportunities hes had, Carlisle said. Its something that didnt work out because I think at the time in September Dirks travel schedule and Kristaps health situation didnt match up, but maybe sometime in the future. I know that Dirk would look forward to spending time with him and vice versa.UP NEXTMavericks: Visit Boston on Wednesday to finish four-game, coast-to-coast road trip that began at the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas has won seven straight against the Celtics.Knicks: Host Detroit on Wednesday. The Pistons beat the Knicks 102-89 earlier this season.---This story has been corrected to show that Nowitzki has missed four straight games. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Stitched NBA Jerseys . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Discount NBA Jerseys .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. NBA Jerseys Store . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. DAVIE, Fla. -- The man in the middle of the Miami Dolphins years-long malaise is back, and wondering how long hell last.Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey returned to practice Tuesday after missing the first four games of the season because of a broken left hip that raised concerns about his career. It was his third hip injury since 2014.Talking to the doctors, all the what-ifs came into play, Pouncey said before practice. You start questioning how long you can play in the league and how physical this game is. Im fortunate to be back as fast as I am.When I first injured this hip, there was a lot of doubt in my mind -- would I ever come back and be the same player? I guess well see today.Pouncey, 27, acknowledged hes mindful of the long-term effects his injuries to both hips might have.We all have concerns long term, every guy that plays in the NFL, he said. But right now Im not too much concerned. I wouldnt put myself in the position to hurt myself or have a setback if I wasnt ready to play.Pouncey rejoins a team off to another slow start heading into Sundays game against Tennessee . The Dolphins are 1/3 in large part because of a sputtering offense that has had trouble running the ball and protecting Ryan Tannehill.Pouncey should help in both areas. Despite his health issues, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl each of the past three years, and might be Miamis best player.He can make a huge difference, Tannehill said. With the belief this team has in him, his work ethiic, the example he sets day in and day out at practice, as well as the player that he is, itll be great to have him back.dddddddddddd.A first-round draft pick from the University of Florida in 2011, Pouncey has yet to play on a winning team in Miami. Hes optimistic that can still change this season, despite the slow start.Weve been in this position before, he said. Its only four games in. Weve got 12 games left. Were looking forward to turning this season around and winning a bunch of games here.Pouncey had been sidelined since the second exhibition game against Dallas on Aug. 19.Some pile jumper from the Dallas Cowboys jumped on me, said Pouncey, who failed to get the players identity.He declined to predict whether hell play Sunday, although it seems likely barring a setback. He praised first-year coach Adam Gase for urging patience regarding the timetable.Even Miamis defensive players were happy about Pounceys return to practice.Obviously hes one of our leaders, and a guy that can obviously get the job done and play at a very high level and bring other guys around him, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. So Im excited to have him back.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine ' ' '