Knicks 90, Celtics 76: Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and visiting New York took a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series vs. Boston.

Raymond Felton had 15 points and 10 assists and J.R. Smith added 15 points before he was ejected in the fourth quarter as the second-seeded Knicks moved within a win of a series sweep. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Boston.

Jeff Green scored 21 points and Paul Pierce added 17 for the Celtics, who came out surprisingly flat following a pregame ceremony in which the team honored local police and first responders of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Unlike the first two games of the series, when the Knicks took control in the second half, New York delivered an early knockout punch. Pablo Prigioni and Smith hit 3-pointers in a 8-0 run to build the lead to 11 and Anthony scored eight straight as New York breezed to a 47-31 lead at halftime.

The Celtics were held to 13 points in the second quarter before briefly showing signs of an offensive pulse in the third, running off seven straight points to cut the deficit to 49-38. Anthony halted the momentum with a 3-pointer and New York stretched the lead back to 16 (68-52) entering the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Smith was tossed after he was whistled for a Flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Jason Terry in the face with 7:06 left to play. ... Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 17 boards for the Celtics, who shuffled their lineup by moving Terry into the starting rotation. ... Knicks starting PG Prigioni finished with nine points and five steals while connecting on 3-of-6 3-pointers.