Carmelo Anthony Smacked A Sixers Player In The Head, Started A Mini-Fight

The Knicks beat the 76ers and ended their four-game losing streak last night.

New York played with more energy, especially defensively, than they had in several weeks. At one point in the third quarter, that energy crossed the line when Carmelo Anthony went and slapped Spencer Hawes in the back of the head before going up for a rebound.

Hawes successfully boxed out Anthony, and Carmelo responded with a subtle smack to the noggin. Hawes immediately confront Anthony, who backed away while Tyson Chandler stepped in to shove Hawes back.

Hawes and Chandler were both given technical fouls in the ensuing scrum. It wasn't until the referees looked at the replay that they noticed Carmelo's smack and gave him a flagrant foul.

Here's the replay from CSN Philly:

Here's a zoomed-in screenshot. That's Melo's hand:

The mini scrum:

Another look at the slap: