NEW YORK –- Carmelo Anthony helped deliver a Christmas Day miracle, and it had nothing to do with the New York Knicks playing the Boston Celtics.

The All-Star Knicks forward -- with help from his Carmelo Anthony Foundation, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and Kia –- gave a new car to Jarell Lara and his family hours before the Knicks' 119-114 loss to the Celtics on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

As Anthony gave the stunned family the keys to their new car, Anne Lara, Jarell's mother, couldn't contain her emotions and began crying, her knees buckling as Anthony hugged the entire family and wished them a Merry Christmas.

BOSTON CELTICS Check out the team site for more game coverage NEW YORK KNICKS Check out the team site for more game coverage

"I don't think you can put that in words," Anthony said. "That is a family that I have gotten a chance to know. My foundation donated a car to them, working with Kia [and the Garden of Dreams] ... and just to see the expression on their faces, the son, one of the kids wanted to cry but held it in ... that is what it is all about."

Anthony has befriended Jarell, 17, who suffers from Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare form of cancer that can damage tissue and is more often found in children. Jarell completed 18 months of chemotherapy treatment earlier this year, and the cancer is in remission.

Anne Lara quit her job as a medical assistant to care for her son, and Fernando Lara quit his minimum-wage job to work in the construction field while moving his family from their Washington Heights home in upper Manhattan to the more affordable South Bronx in order to better cover medical expenses.

When Knicks players took families in need holiday shopping last week, Anthony took the Laras on a $2,000 spree.

"I thought someone was punking me," Jarell told MSGNetworks.com of what he thought when Anthony told the family to come over to the loading dock ramp at the Garden where the car was parked. "It hasn't sunk in. It's a blessing from God. There are so many people [that] Carmelo Anthony can help, and he chose to help me. It's the greatest Christmas you could ask for."

"I'm a strong person," Jarell added. "I never thought I wouldn't make it. I had some tough days, but on those days, knowing Carmelo had my back helped me get through."

Anthony, who met Jarell nearly a year ago through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Garden of Dreams and the Knicks, nearly gave his biggest fan a bonus gift when he scored 29 points and helped the Knicks tie the score late after trailing by 13 in the fourth. The Celtics, though, held on.

Still, it was a Christmas to remember for Anthony, who will never forget the day he helped produce a Christmas miracle for the Lara family.

"She lost it," Anthony said of Anne. "I came [to the Garden] focused on the game and trying to come up with schemes to beat Boston and try to enjoy this game. [But] then you have to shift completely to just life in a snap of a finger. It was more emotional than anything.

"This is bigger than sport, bigger than basketball," Anthony said moments after surprising the family. "Two wonderful foundations coming together, making a family happy, making a dream come true. Giving them a day of happiness. The family, as you can see, the mom is still crying. It is a bit of a surprise. They had no idea it was coming, and I am happy that I was able to kind of make this happen."