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Carmelo Anthony held players-only meeting with Knicks

Carmelo Anthony is shooting 37 percent from the field in the first four games. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

(Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

After the Knicks lost their third straight game, a 102-97 decision to the Bobcats on Tuesday - in which center Tyson Chandler suffered a leg fracture that will keep him out four to six weeks - Carmelo Anthony called a players-only meeting in the locker room to iron things out with teammates.

Anthony spoke to the media about the meeting at Friday morning's shootaround in Charlotte, where the Knicks will get a rematch with the Bobcats tonight.

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“We shut the door after the game, talked it out a little bit,’’ Anthony said. “Try to figure out what was happening and going on. We just weren’t competing the way we know how to compete. We weren’t playing the way we know how to play. Hopefully the conversation we had after the game made everyone else realize, though it is early, there are things we need to fix and fix now.’’

Anthony and other veterans spoke at the meeting, telling their teammates they must "want it more" than their opponents.

“It doesn’t really have anything to do with the coaches. It’s us out there playing," Anthony said. "I felt we needed to sit down and talk and get that out of the way.’’

Entering play on Friday, Anthony is 10th in the NBA in scoring at 23.8 points per game, but is shooting only 37 percent. The Knicks, who had the fewest turnovers in the league last year, averaged 16.75 turnovers per game in the first four games, which ranks 14th worst in the league.

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