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The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks could have something in common: Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony, the forward of the Nuggets, has been in the news all season-long for his reluctance to sign a three-year extension of his current contract. Also out there is the rumor that he would like to play for the Knicks; Anthony has been in denial mode in terms of the rumors, yet hasn’t really allowed the controversy to affect his overall game.

The crowd at Madison Square Garden is obviously mindful of this situation and brought it to Anthony’s attention during the introductions during Sunday’s game between the Nuggets and Knicks.

Anthony didn’t embarrass himself during his 37 minutes on the floor, scoring 31 points. But Amare Stoudemire wouldn’t be out done as he poured in 30 – his eighth straight game of 30 or more points – as New York upped their win streak to eight, getting past Denver 129-125.

Both teams shot well for the game as Denver shot 51 percent while New York shot a hot 52 percent.

The first half was one of which both teams dominated in alternate quarters as the Knicks outscored the Nuggets 35-24 in the first quarter while Denver outscored New York 41-31, with the Knicks taking a 66-65 lead into the intermission.

Stoudemire was held in check during the first half, going 2-for-8 in the first half; however, he would score 14 in the third, which allowed the Knicks to take a 97-89 lead going into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Stoudemire, he picked up his fifth foul with 10:40 left in the game.

The Nuggets would take advantage of Stoudemire’s absence, rallying to take a 111-110 lead with 6:06 remaining on free throws by Ty Lawson as Stoudemire returned to the court. He would score on New York’s next three possessions and later snapped a 120-all tie and hit the 30-point mark with a jumper with a minute to play.

Anthony would tie the game again with a dunk, but Wilson Chandler replied with a 3-pointer for a 125-122 lead, icing the game.

Stoudemire led all Knicks’ scorers with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks while Chandler added 27 (including five 3-pointers) with 7 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Raymond Felton chipped in 19 with 3 rebounds, 17 assists and a steal while Landry Fields poured in 18 (including 3 treys) with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block. Danilo Gallinari pitched in 16 with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

The Nuggets’ high scorer was Anthony with a game-high 31 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and a block while Nene Hilario chipped in 26 with 8 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks. Al Harrington came off the bench to pitch in 19 (including three 3-pointers) with a rebound and 5 assists while Lawson contributed 18 with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

New York (16-9) plays again on Wednesday when they host the Boston Celtics while Denver (14-9) returns home to host the Orlando Magic Tuesday night.