The National Basketball Association's (NBA) New York Knicks forced the Dallas Mavericks into overtime, but ultimately still fell short (109-102).

Their US $124 million superstar, Carmelo Anthony, was there for the game. He sustained a back injury in his previous game, prompting him to leave and not play against the Mavericks.

Like Us on Facebook

Anthony has said that his spasms have been improving. However, he is not sure how long he will be sidelined due to his injury.

"It's gotten a little better, but today was the first day that I actually got to walk around a little bit," Anthony said through a team spokesman during the second quarter. "This is the first time I've ever had spasms. I've never felt this way before."

He hobbled in right before the tip-off and looked on as the game played out.

He watched his teammate Jose Calderon, who is returning from a calf injury, have his defining game with the Knicks as he score 21 points with seven 3-point shots out of his total of nine.

Former Maverick Samuel Dalembert achieved his first double-double with 13 points and rebounds. J.R. Smith also added 15 points to the game as well, including an equalizing jumper that forced the game to overtime.

However, the presence of Anthony on the bench was not enough, as the Mavericks fought back.

He also witnessed former teammate Tyson Chandler perform his season best with 17 points and 25 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki also led his team with 30 points.

In the end, the Mavericks ultimately stifled the rallying Knicks and won out.

When Smith was interviewed regarding playing without Anthony, he said that he thought they did pretty well.

"Honestly, I played terrible today overall, but I just kept playing. The coaches told me to keep playing, don't worry about it, we're gonna make mistakes. . . . It was tough. I got it going in the fourth a little bit, sent us into overtime, but it wasn't enough."

Tagscarmelo anthony, JR Smith, Dirk Nowitzki