Kristaps Porzingis said he needs Carmelo Anthony to stay with the Knicks.

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New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis said he needs Carmelo Anthony to stay with the team, reports the New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy.

“Obviously I want him to stay here. We need him. I need him,” the Latvian said of Anthony, who recently shut down talk regarding his no-trade clause for the rest of the season. “And we don’t want to lose him.”

The 20-year-old Porzingis and 31-year-old Anthony are +66 through 1,471 minutes together this season.

“I need to No. 1, to learn from him. And to win. We need him to win,” added Porzingis, who is averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds this season. “Without him it would be much more difficult. Him leaving would be tough but I’m not worried about that, I don’t think it’s going that way. He’s been loyal. I think he loves New York. And that’s the most important thing.”

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The Knicks (30–44) were officially eliminated from playoff contention Sunday.