Carmelo Anthony?returned to the New York Knicks lineup Saturday against Denver after missing Thursdays game because of soreness in his shoulder. Derrick Rose, however, sat out because of lingering discomfort from back spasms. He has missed four of the Knicks past six games because of the ailment.Brandon Jennings?started at point guard in place of Rose on Saturday.?The Nuggets beat the Knicks 127-114.Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek admitted the absence of Rose seemed to make a difference.It sure looked like it, he said. Brandon has the ability to drive in there, too, but Derricks finishes really draw guys into the lane and then where Derrick will kick out; Brandon will dribble out, draw it to somebody, but I dont think other teams are as concerned with Brandon finishing at the basket as Derrick.Anthony scored 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field?against his former team but remained winless in five trips to Denver since he was traded to New York in 2011.Anthony injured his shoulder in the first quarter of the Knicks win over the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday. He struggled with his shot that night and again in the Knicks next game, an overtime loss against the Phoenix Suns, going a combined 7-for-31 from the field.Anthony told reporters the shoulder issue was impacting his shot but that he feels healthy after the extended rest. He decided to rest the injury Thursday against the Golden State Warriors, missing his first game of the season. The Knicks are 0-11?in games Anthony has missed over the past two seasons.It is unclear when the Knicks will have Rose back. The 28-year-old point guard has missed four of the Knicks past six games, and portions of two others, because of the back spasms. An MRI determined there is no structural issue with Roses back.It is stiff, he tries to get it loose and then it feels like it might turn into a spasm, so he doesnt want to really jar it or turn hard on it, Hornacek said.The Knicks have taken a cautious approach with Rose, who has a history of serious injuries, though not related to his back.Rose played in just 39 percent of games in the previous four seasons because of various injuries, including three significant knee ailments. Hed played in every game in his first season with the Knicks before suffering back spasms in New Yorks win over Miami last Tuesday.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Wholesale Flames Jerseys . 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Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Flames Jerseys China . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Calgary Flames Pro Shop . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. MIAMI -- If youre healthy or close to it, youre playing. And if youre tired and we need you, youre also playing.Thats what Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas learned on Friday night, when he returned from a groin injury in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.On Sunday, the Celtics (14-12) will visit the Miami Heat (9-18). Boston is in third place in the Eastern Conference but the Celtics also surely know that the Eastern Conference is tightly bunched and that the 11th-place Washington Wizards are only 2 1/2 games out of third place.In other words, this is no time to let up, even if you are trying to work back from an injury that caused you to miss four games, which was the case for Thomas.Isaiah was gassed, Celtics teammate Jae Crowder told the media after Fridays game. He was talking in the locker-room about how gassed he was. But he gives us a better chance to win.Thomas played 35 minutes on Friday, including the entire fourth quarter. But Celtics coach Brad Stevens expressed similar thoughts to those of Crowder.You know, Stevens said half-jokingly, (Thomas) didnt do anything all week.Thomas did plenty on Friday, scoring a game-high 25 points.On Sunday, Thomas will match wits with Heat point guard Goran Dragic. Thomas may all see some of Tyler Johnson, who missed Fridays game due to an illness.Johnson is averaging 13.0 points this season. And while he has started all 25 of his games this season on the bench, he usually ends them on the court -- he leads all NBA players in fourth-quarter minutes.But there is something else Johnson has added to his game this season, and thats his defense. He had a career-high four blocks in the last game he played, on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. His previous high in a game was two.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who is hoping to get Johnson back in time for Sunday nights home game against the Boston Celtics, said hes pleased with his teams defensive effort so far.We emphasize challenging a lot and that doesnt necessarily mean blocking shots, Spoelstra said.dddddddddddd Some people have a better feel for it and better physical gifts to do it.Johnson, at 6-foot-4 and with good leaping ability, seems to fall into that category.He is holding offensive players hes guarding to 41.5-percent shooting, which is 2.7-percent lower than their averages. Johnson is sixth on the team in that category. James Johnson is No. 1 on the Heat, holding shooters to 11.8-percent below their averages.In addition, Tyler Johnson is third on the Heat with 17 blocks. Hassan Whiteside is obviously first, and James Johnson is second.Among guards, Tyler entered the weekend ranked third in the NBA in blocks with 17 -- tied with ex-Heat star Dwyane Wade.Dwyane is arguably the best shot-blocking guard of all time, and I think he is, Spoelstra said. J-Rich (Josh Richardson) has that ability. Tyler has that ability. Justise Winslow has that ability.Even Goran has become better at it just by working hard, challenging and taking pride on making it tough.Having those defenders healthy and active is part of the blueprint that Spoestra envisions. It hasnt really happened yet this season due to injuries, but the potential is there.And then theres this: When Tyler Johnson is able to get two blocks per game, the Heat wins. Its a small sample size, but they are 5-1 in those instances.Perhaps Johnson learned something from Wade in the shot-blocking department.Maybe in just seeing someone taking pride on the defensive side of the floor, Spoelstra said. Those guys (Johnson, Richardson and Winslow) have taken it to the next level to finish plays off.And if those opposing perimeter players get past the Heat guards, Whiteside is often waiting for the block.A lot of the times, I know where his guy is going, Whiteside said of the player Tyler Johnson is guarding. A lot of those (blocked) shots, Im just watching (Johnson) get. ' ' '