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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas are winning over fans and helping the Knicks win games.Maybe this is the start of Lansanity.Carmelo Anthony had 31 points and 10 rebounds, Thomas scored a season-high 17 points against his former team and New York beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-92 on Wednesday night.Galloway added 18 points and his fearless shotmaking had Anthony recalling Jeremy Lin, another unheralded player who made a big impact during the brief run of Linsanity in 2012.Everybody loves the underdog story, Anthony said.Tim Hardaway Jr. hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, finishing with 14 for the Knicks, who won for the fourth time in five games, representing nearly half of their nine victories on the season.In this league everybodys a professional, so I feel like if you bring it then you have a chance to beat anybody in the NBA, Thomas said. And with the effort were putting forward, were keeping ourselves in games.Russell Westbrook scored 40 points on 13-of-30 shooting for the Thunder, who were without Kevin Durant for a second straight game because of a sprained big toe on his left foot.I just had to play my game, Westbrook said. Tried to help us find a way to win the game. I didnt do a good job of that.Westbrook blitzed the Knicks in his return from injury in November, leading the Thunder to a 27-point romp. But behind players such as Galloway and Thomas, who werent around then, the Knicks continued their best stretch of the season.Thomas was originally acquired earlier this month from Oklahoma City as part of a three-team trade with Cleveland, then waived and later re-signed. He is on his second 10-day contract and making a good case to stick around, as Galloway will after signing for the remainder of the season on Tuesday.Lance plays hard. He plays every possession like its Game 7 of a championship series. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. Thats why hes in the league and thats why hes going to play another 10 years. When you have guys like that, you win.The Knicks had an 82-73 lead after Hardaway made consecutive 3-pointers, then fed Thomas for a basket. Westbrook scored seven straight to make it a two-point game, but Anthony had a pair of baskets before Hardaway nailed another 3 to cap a 10-0 spurt that extended it to 92-80.Oklahoma City would get it down to 95-90 before Thomas knocked down a jumper with 46 seconds to play. The Thunder didnt make another field goal.Westbrook had stretches of brilliance, including a 3-pointer just before halftime where he essentially landed on top of Galloway, believing he was fouled. But without Durant, the Thunder didnt have nearly enough balance and fell to 23-23. Perry Jones, starting in the league MVPs place, missed all five shots and was scoreless.Jason Smith had 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Knicks.TIP-INSThunder: Center Steven Adams was chosen Wednesday to play in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend. The New Zealand product will play for the World team against the U.S. in the game featuring rookies and second-year players. ... Oklahoma City opened a two-game trip after playing its only home game in the final two weeks of January on Monday. Brooks said it feels like the Thunder have been on the road since the new year. They will practice in New York on Thursday and visit Memphis on Saturday.Knicks: Besides his previous knee problems, Amare Stoudemire was also bothered by ankle and wrist injuries, coach Derek Fisher said. ... The game was originally scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN. It is one of eight Knicks games that have been removed from the NBAs national TV schedule.ANTHONYS ACHESBattling knee soreness for much of the season, Anthony has said he would need to evaluate his availability for back-to-backs, but wasnt ready to do that after Wednesdays game. The Knicks play Thursday in Indiana.Ill see tomorrow, he said. When I get up Ill see how everything reacts and well go from there.UP NEXTThunder: Visit Memphis on Saturday.Knicks: Visit Indiana on Thursday. . Both moves were announced Tuesday. The Titans had waived Matthews on Saturday when they promoted wide receiver Michael Preston from the practice squad. . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. . -- Hal Steinbrenner says Alex Rodriguez is "a great player" and "obviously an asset," but the New York Yankees managing general partner wouldnt discuss the third basemans possible return to the team following a season-long suspension. .Y. - His opponent couldnt stop him, and LeBron James didnt quite know what to think when his coach tried.KANSAS CITY – Marcus Stromans major league debut may come sooner rather than later. But it will not be on the current road trip. Encouraged by Dustin McGowans start on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, manager John Gibbons will hand him the ball again on Sunday in Pittsburgh and go with left-hander J.A. Happ on Monday in Philadelphia. "Well see where that takes us," said Gibbons. McGowan pitched into the seventh inning on Tuesday for just the second time this season. His spot in the rotation is vulnerable, with Gibbons on repeated occasions saying how much he values McGowan out of the bullpen. Happ, entering Thursdays series finale with the Royals, hadnt pitched in more than a week, a 2 2/3 inning performance against the Baltimore Orioles on April 23. He entered spring training with a spot in the rotation but posted a 20.57 ERA in four Grapefruit League appearances and missed time with inflammation in his back. His performance forced the Blue Jays to seek alternatives. Stroman, who turned 23 on Thursday, is coming off a 10-strikeout, one-walk, no-hit performance over six innings for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday night. Along with Aaron Sanchez, he is considered a top pitching prospect and some in the organization believe he is major league-ready. GOSE RETURNS When the Blue Jays acquired Anthony Gose from the Astros on July 29, 2010, he was a hot prospect less than two weeks shy of his 20th birthday. Now, almost four years later, Gose is up for a second time this season and has been on the option train for a couple of seasons. Hes up when the Blue Jays need him and back in Buffalo when they dont. "Hes got to play and be productive," said Gibbons. "Its like anybody else. When it comes down to the big leagues its about production. Theres no secrets; you can hope guys are going to do something but eventually its all about production. Thats why its so hard to make it in the big leagues and stay for any length of time. Thats why guys come and go, bounce up and down. Big part of it is opportunity but when you get it youve got to take advantage of it." In 19 games with the Bisons, Gose is hitting .235/.350/.309. Hes walking at a higher clip than usual with 12 free passes in 81 plate appearances (14.8 per cent). "I think it was too cold for me to swing," Gose joked. "I wasnt trying to do anything different. I wasnt working on anything. I just walked a little bit more earlier on.dddddddddddd" He admits its difficult to get into a groove early in the International League season because of the weather. Games are often rained out; sometimes games are snowed out. "I think this year was much colder and a lot longer than last year, especially in other cities also," said Gose. "I dont know if its going to warm up. Its been freezing. I got here and its freezing too. Everywhere Im playing baseball its cold." ROSTER MOVES To accommodate the recall of Gose, the Blue Jays optioned infielder Jonathan Diaz to Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto also purchased the contract of infielder/outfielder Steve Tolleson. To make room for Tolleson on the 40-man roster, outfielder Moises Sierra was designated for assignment. The moves give the Blue Jays additional depth in the absence of Melky Cabrera, who was hit by a pitch on his left shin in Wednesday nights game and is listed as day-to-day. HIGH PRAISE FOR BAUTISTA Pointing out that Jose Bautista is good at baseball is a waste of everyones time. Nobodys splitting the atom with such an observation. Through the first month of the season, Bautista is baseballs leader in on-base percentage (.465) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.065). His eight home runs prorate to a total of 48 over a 162-game schedule. Defensively, Bautista has one outfield assist and has come close on a couple of other occasions. His arm is feared by opposition baserunners. What arent so obvious to the viewing public are Bautistas contributions to game preparation. "Hes helped me out more than you can imagine, more than I ever imagined (he would)," said first-year outfield coach Tim Leiper. "When Im out there its like having another coach out there because number one, hes been in the league, hes seen everybody, he has great recall and he knows the game situations." When Bautista shifts to centerfield, which has happened in four games so far this season, Leiper jokes that his work day ends. Bautista takes charge and knows where he wants himself and his corner outfielders to be on each pitch. "From day one in spring training every fungo, every drill, 100-percent fundamentally correct every single time," said Leiper. "You watch him in the game, hes into every pitch, he doesnt take pitches off. Theres a reason why hes good at everything he does. Hes intelligent and hes into it. Hes as professional a guy as Ive ever been around." ' ' '
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