Knicks 90, Jazz 83: J.R. Smith scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and Raymond Felton scored 19 as shorthanded New York avoided a winless road trip by holding off host Utah.

Chris Copeland started in place of Carmelo Anthony (knee) and added 14 points for the Knicks, who had lost the first four games of the trip by an average of 20 points. Tyson Chandler (knee, neck) missed his third straight game along with Anthony.

Gordon Hayward had 17 points and Al Jefferson recorded 10 and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who missed an opportunity to gain a game on the Los Angeles Lakers. They trail the Lakers by a game for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.

Utah held a 60-54 lead after Al Jefferson’s jumper with 4:37 left in the third but would miss its next eight shots as New York closed the period with a 12-3 run to take a three-point edge into the fourth. Smith scored eight points during the burst.

The Knicks went up by as much as 84-76 with 4:31 remaining before Mo Williams scored five straight points to pull the Jazz back into the game. But Smith nailed a 20-foot jumper to push it back to a five-point lead and helped close it out at the free-throw line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: New York is a game behind the Indiana Pacers for the No. 2 slot in the East. … The Jazz shot 51.6 percent in the first half but turned the ball over 14 times and only held a 44-42 lead at the break. … Utah F Derrick Favors grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench and the Jazz outrebounded the Knicks 46-34.