"Maybe the only team the Knicks could have beaten last night was the Washington Wizards, who at this rate just might finish 0-66.

The Knicks struggled again against an inferior opponent and needed Carmelo Anthony, fighting through a back injury, to sink a go-ahead three-pointer with 15.5 seconds left to propel them to a 99-96 win over the 0-7 Wizards. The Knicks, who snapped a two-game losing streak, are 3-4 heading into Saturday's game in Detroit.

But they could be without Anthony, who scored 37 points on 33 shots and felt a slight twinge in his back late in the fourth quarter. On his game-winning shot, Anthony said his sore back eliminated any chance of taking the ball to the rim. "I wasn't going to drive to the basket," he said. "I was hurting and praying that it would go in."

Anthony received treatment afterward and was optimistic he would play against the Pistons. "I'll see," Anthony said. "I'll be all right. Hopefully, I'll be out there (Saturday) night."

Anthony's physical condition is just one of several concerns for Mike D'Antoni after his club surrendered 32 first-quarter points and fell behind by 16 in the second quarter.

"Unacceptable," Anthony called it.

Even with the game seemingly in control, the Knicks blew an eight-point lead in the last five minutes.

"We did not hang our heads but obviously we were feeling a little bit of pressure," D'Antoni added. "We fought back. I thought we did some good things, but we still have a lot of work to do."

D'Antoni may have found a solution to his backcourt problems, however. Rookie Iman Shumpert replaced Toney Douglas at the start of the second half and contributed six points, seven assists and four steals over the last two periods. Even third-string point guard Mike Bibby made a positive contribution, scoring 11 second-half points and committing a smart foul to prevent a JaVale McGee dunk with 90 seconds left and the Knicks leading by one. McGee then missed both free throws.

Douglas played just two minutes in the second half and finished 0-for-5 with zero assists. Landry Fields, who is also in danger of losing his starting shooting guard job, scored two points in 18 minutes."