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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Even with a six-man rotation, the New York
Knicks were getting big contributions from their bench.
|  | | Latrell Sprewell swipes the ball from Sam Cassell. |
Latrell Sprewell scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half as the shorthanded Knicks, motivated by David Wingate's fiery
halftime speech, rallied from a big deficit for an exhilarating
109-103 win over Milwaukee Wednesday night.
"That was nothing about me," coach Jeff Van Gundy said of the
Knicks' biggest comeback since February 1997. "That was about them
finding a way to get themselves back in the game, and we did it
when guys were dead-tired."
Trailing 62-45 at halftime, New York got a pep talk from veteran
forward Wingate, who was activated off the injured list earlier in
the day but didn't play. The Knicks looked like a different team
after the break, hitting the shots and grabbing the rebounds they
missed in the first half.
"Gate made a great speech at the half," Patrick Ewing said. "He told us to get our butts in gear and take it basket-by-basket
to get the win."
"That just shows what we're capable of when we play with a lot
of passion and desire," said Allan Houston, who scored 22 points
on a sore ankle. "Hopefully a win this big will give us some
momentum after the All-Star break."
Ewing had 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, and Charlie
Ward added 21, hitting five of six 3-pointers. Sprewell and Ewing
played 44 minutes each, and Houston played 46 as New York won for
the third time in four games.
The Knicks played without regulars Marcus Camby, Larry Johnson
and Chris Childs, and just seven players saw action for New York.
The Knicks mostly went with a rotation of starters Sprewell, Ewing,
Ward, Houston and Kurt Thomas, with John Wallace off the bench.
The Knicks' jubilant locker room contrasted with the funereal
pall over the Bucks, who head for the break on their first
three-game losing streak of the season. Milwaukee's loss and
Detroit's win over Toronto dropped the Bucks into eighth place in
the Eastern Conference standings.
Glenn Robinson, an All-Star for the first time in his career, scored three points after halftime Wednesday and stormed out of the
locker room after curt replies to a few questions.
The Bucks, who have lost four of five, finished a three-game
homestand with three discouraging defeats. The Bucks lost their
composure and their shooting touch about the same time Sprewell, a
Milwaukee native, began making his shots in the second half.
"Those are three disappointing games," said Ray Allen, who had 24 points. "We had opportunities in all three. We made a lot of
young mistakes."
Sprewell was the catalyst for the Knicks' comeback, making big
plays on both ends as New York scored 11 straight points in the
closing minutes.
New York trailed by 17 at halftime but closed the gap in the
third quarter as the Bucks' shooters cooled. In the fourth, the
Knicks tied the game on five consecutive possessions, but each time
the Bucks answered with their own score.
Milwaukee took a 95-92 lead with 5:12 left on Allen's reverse
dunk, but Sprewell and Ewing combined to score the next 11 points
on a variety of jumpers, dunks and free throws.
Sprewell's thunderous breakaway slam with 1:52 left gave the
Knicks a 103-95 lead and brought the New York bench onto the court
in jubilation. Moments later, Sprewell blocked Tim Thomas' dunk
attempt and sealed the win.
Allen had 24 points for Milwaukee. Thomas had 16, while Robinson
had 19 when Sprewell shut him down after halftime.
In a game of roller-coaster runs and inconsistent shooting, the
Bucks took a 59-40 lead late in the first half with torrid
shooting. Milwaukee made 59 percent of its shots before halftime
and had a 15-2 run late in the second quarter, led by 16 points
from Robinson and 15 from Allen.
But New York started the second half with a 13-3 run, and
moments later, a 14-1 run capped by Ward's 3-pointer cut
Milwaukee's lead to 75-74 with 2:20 left in the third.
Game notes
New York beat Milwaukee for the third straight time. ...
Danny Manning was knocked woozy during a fight for a rebound with 3:33 left in the game. He stayed down on the court for three
minutes afterward but walked to the bench. The Bucks said Manning
was fine. ... The Knicks activated Wingate and Andrew Lang before the game, but neither played. Wallace had 14 points off the bench
for New York. The only other bench player who got into the game was
Rick Brunson.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
Knicks say Camby has mild strain to right ACL
RECAPS
Indiana 113
Boston 104
Philadelphia 92
New Jersey 90
Atlanta 116
Houston 100
Charlotte 103
Cleveland 95
Detroit 115
Toronto 108
Miami 115
Golden State 100
Orlando 107
Washington 96
New York 109
Milwaukee 103
Seattle 117
Dallas 106
San Antonio 106
Denver 97
Utah 113
Chicago 86
Portland 107
LA Clippers 100
LA Lakers 114
Minnesota 81
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