Knicks, Minus Stoudemire Again, Fall to Raptors, 90-85 Game 2 of life without Amar'e Stoudemire did not look much like Game 1 did 48 hours earlier in Sacramento. It turned into the Carmelo Anthony Show Monday at Madison Square Garden. Anthony launched 31 shots, far more than his previous high 17, made 13 (but missed a 3-pointer to tie with less than 11 seconds to play) and the Knicks fell to the Toronto Raptors, 90-85. "We forgot the play," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. That's just learning, a learning experience. Everybody's tired. That's going to be the thing. We didn't play smart. We settled a little bit. Other than Toney Douglas, who scored 12 of his 22 points during a third-quarter comeback from an 18-point deficit, Anthony (13 in the final quarter, 35 over all) did not get much help. Stoudemire sat out his second straight game with a sprained left ankle, but thinks he may be able to return by Wednesday's game against Charlotte at the Garden. The sooner the better for the Knicks, who shot 28.2 percent in the first half to dig a 17-point hole at the break and never led after the first quarter. It was a far different effort than Saturday's balanced 114-92 cakewalk over the Kings. For instance, the rookie Josh Harrellson, starting again for Stoudemire, missed all four of his 3-point attempts after going 4-for-6 in Sacramento. "Tonight Josh came down from rookie stardom," D'Antoni said. Landry Fields, shot 1-for-7, and the Knicks" bench went 3-for-13 and, overall, were 10 of 35 from beyond the arc. So, despite closing to within one twice in the final 64 seconds, the Knicks didn't have quite enough against a team that blew a 16-point lead Sunday night in Orlando, its second squandered double-digit lead of the season. Stoudemire's absence Monday also illustrated the lack of any consistent chemistry in the offense, and the absence of any reliable weapons besides Anthony. Stoudemire begged to differ, saying, "I've played with these guys," but his absence, coach D'Antoni acknowledged, hampers the evolution of the offense toward better spacing and ball movement. The chemistry issue has been particularly evident in the pick-and-roll sets that are the foundation of D'Antoni's offense. In them, the presence of Tyson Chandler creates far more traffic for Stoudemire than Chandler's predecessors such as Rony Turiaf did last season. "It takes time," D'Antoni said. Everybody has different characteristics, and it just takes awhile to blend them all and getting everybody to trust in what they're doing. The corollary issue, however, is the risk of bringing back Stoudemire too soon during the truncated schedule and chancing a reinjury, as happened to fellow big man Jared Jeffries on opening night, when he aggravated a preseason calf injury. Thus, if Stoudemire isn't at or close to 100 percent on Wednesday, his return could be pushed back to Friday in Washington or even Saturday in Detroit. "I don't think there is a rush," D'Antoni said. He's got to be 100 percent before he plays. We're not going to risk anything. Stoudemire said: "It's such an impactful season. You don't want anything to linger on. Of the other injured Knicks besides A'Mare Stoudemire, the rookie guard Iman Shumpert could return the soonest. He tested his sprained right knee with an extensive workout Monday, could practice Tuesday and might be ready Wednesday, less than two weeks after he injured his knee in the season-opening victory over Boston. The original prognosis was twice that. ... Jared Jeffries will not return until a day or two after he is ready, Mike D'Antoni said, to make sure his injured right calf has healed. Thus, the timetable for his return is uncertain. ... Baron Davis still remains weeks away from returning from his back injury, D'Antoni said. ... The N.B.A. rescinded the technical foul Mike Bibby received during Sunday's game in Sacramento. This year, because of the shortened season, 13 technicals earn a one-game suspension, and Tyson Chandler picked up four in the first four games.