Wade tops Anthony in battle of returning stars

It was a day for returns at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

For the home crowd, it was superstar Carmelo Anthony returning from a two-plus-game absence due to back spasms, an issue that left him just a little short of able to put the New York Knicks on his back.

On the other side, it was Dwyane Wade returning from a seven-game absence due to a hamstring strain, leading his Miami Heat to a tight and hard-fought, 86-79 road victory.

Both players looked far better than should have been expected considering both are working through physical ailments. Anthony shot just 11-of-26 but finished with a game-high 31 points with eight rebounds, while Wade was a lights out 11-of-18 from the floor for 27 points, adding five dimes.

(Courtesy: ESPN)

The story, then, as could be predicted, was that Wade simply had more support. Knicks outside of Anthony shot just 32.3 percent, while Wade was lent a hand by Chris Bosh (20 points, nine rebounds). That doesn't mean the Heat can hang tough without Wade, though, as they went 3-4 in his absence, dropping a couple of winnable games. The Knicks, meanwhile, went 0-2 without Anthony.

Of course, even with their top scorer, the Knicks aren't in good shape. The loss drops them to 4-14 on the season, putting them in a three-and-a-half game hole in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It's certainly a positive that Anthony returned and looked healthy, but the Knicks need to figure things out in a hurry now that he's back.