RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Knicks are finally starting to look like the team that went to the NBA Finals a year ago, and all they had to do was play a little more defense.

Allan Houston scored 24 points, Latrell Sprewell added 20 and the Knicks held New Jersey to a season-low 31 percent shooting in posting a 92-82 win over the woeful Nets on Saturday.

The victory was the fourth in five games for the Knicks, who have held their last three opponents under 39 percent shooting from the field.

"We're playing real well on the defensive end," said Knicks forward Kurt Thomas, who added 16 points and 11 rebounds. "We know there are going to be nights when our shots are not going to fall, but if we play good defense we'll be there at the end in position to win."

The Knicks put themselves in position to win this one by taking an early 13-point lead and spending the majority of the game forcing the Nets to shoot jumpers. While New Jersey outscored New York 26-18 in the paint, most of those came on hustling rebounds, not because of an inside presence.

"This is my third game back and by far, they are the best defensive team we try to score on," Nets guard Kerry Kittles said. "They just pack it in. Even though we just played San Antonio with those twin towers, those guys over there, New York, they pack it in and make it real tough for you. They force you to shoot those jump shots and, if are not banging them, you are in for a real long night."

The loss was the fifth straight and 15th in 17 games for the Nets. The 2-15 start is one game shy of the worst in team history, set in 1977-78.

Stephon Marbury had 19 points and backup center Jamie Feick added 13 points and a career-high 23 rebounds for the Nets, who were 28 of 90 from the field.

"There is no excuse," said Nets coach Don Casey, whose job status is getting more questionable with each game. "You cannot be flat against New York."

The Knicks used a 14-1 first-quarter spurt to build an early lead. The Nets made a couple of second-half runs, the last an eight-point spurt that closed the gap to 83-77 on a rebound follow by Keith Van Horn, who had 16 points.

Van Horn blocked a shot by Thomas at the other end, but Houston scrambled to get the ball and found Charlie Ward for a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:52 to go that buried the Nets.

"Everybody is beginning to contribute at both ends," said Houston, who was five of seven from the field in the opening quarter. "The ball is going to go through Spree and myself a lot, but everybody has to contribute. Every time we needed a basket today, someone stepped up."

New Jersey came into the contest having played their best game of the season in a two-point loss to San Antonio on Thursday night.

However, the Knicks never let them build off that, using the big spurt to open a lead. Thomas started the run with three free throws and Houston hit a baseline jumper and a dunk on a fast break.

After a jumper by Feick, Thomas hit a jumper, Houston nailed a 3-pointer and Marcus Camby had a spectacular ally-oop dunk after blocking a shot by Kittles. Camby finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high six blocks.

New York led by 10 points at the end of the first quarter, 12 at halftime, and built its lead to 18 early in the third before the Nets rallied with a 16-6 run.

Marbury had seven points in the run and Van Horn added four, but the two failed on an ally-oop play on a 2-on-1 break with Van Horn fumbling the pass out of bounds.

Game notes
Houston's 14 points in the first quarter were one less than the Nets' total. ... Knicks point guard Chris Childs left early in the second quarter after bruising his back in a fall and did not return. ... Houston's three 3-pointers gave him 318, moving him into third place with the Knicks, one ahead of Hubert Davis. ... Mets catcher Mike Piazza, sporting a new blonde-haired look, attended the game. ... The Nets have lost four straight to the Knicks and 14 of 20. ... A sellout crowd of 20,049 was announced, but there were a lot of empty seats at the Continental Airlines Arena.