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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) -- The mismatches were so in favor of the Knicks,
it didn't really matter that their league-leading defense basically
took the night off.
|  | | Allan Houston's 33 points led the Knicks to their highest output of the season. |
Allan Houston scored 31 points, Latrell Sprewell added 22 and Larry Johnson had 18 as New York picked on the weakest Nets defenders and defeated New Jersey 114-104 on Friday night.
"We played a very good offensive game," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I don't think I can praise the defense. I know what a playoff team looks like, and a playoff team that has a chance defends and rebounds."
The Knicks didn't do either as they allowed an opponent to score
100 points for the fourth time in six games. But their offense more
than made up for it as they shot 56 percent in their
highest-scoring game of the season.
Houston was 11-for-19, Sprewell hit half of his 20 shots and Glen Rice was 6-for-8 shooting for 15 points as the Knicks snapped a two-game losing streak and sent the Nets to their eighth
consecutive road loss.
"We're happy with the win, don't get me wrong," Sprewell said.
"But we still need to improve defensively. We're still not where
we need to be."
Stephon Marbury had 28 points and nine assists and Johnny Newman
added 24 for New Jersey, which outrebounded New York 45-29 but
couldn't match up with the Knicks in one-on-one situations.
Sprewell scored most of his points while being defended by
rookie forward Kenyon Martin, while Johnson was able to get Keith
Van Horn into early foul trouble as the Knicks repeatedly used
isolation plays to create mismatches.
"When you see that a guy can't guard a particular player who
you're running an offensive play for, you've got to keep milking
that," Rice said. "Tonight was a good example of us doing that."
The Knicks took the lead for good early in the first quarter but
didn't open a double-digit advantage until Houston converted a
four-point play -- a conventional three-point play plus a technical
foul on Stephen Jackson for arguing the foul call -- to make it
46-36 with 4:26 left before halftime.
New York used a 10-0 run early in the third to go ahead 68-52,
and the lead got as high as 18 before the Nets pulled back within
10 entering the fourth.
Van Horn scored his only points of the game on a fast-break
layup with 4:28 left to make it 100-93, but Johnson scored inside
over Van Horn, Kurt Thomas hit two free throws and Houston popped
in consecutive jumpers to restore a 12-point lead and end all
doubt.
"We couldn't match up with Allan and Spree," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "We didn't guard anybody well. We may have given them too much respect."
Game notes
Exceedingly heavy traffic in Manhattan made several players
late for the game. Marbury arrived about 50 minutes before tipoff,
while Rice and Sprewell arrived after him and Marcus Camby didn't
get make it to the locker room until less than a half-hour before
tipoff. ... The Nets haven't won at Madison Square Garden since
March 16, 1997. ... Newman was one point shy of his season-high.
... New York had a season-low five turnovers.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 108
LA Clippers 93
LA Lakers 99
Charlotte 94
New York 114
New Jersey 104
Orlando 108
Houston 93
San Antonio 91
Minnesota 85
Vancouver 92
Golden State 79
Sacramento 117
Denver 84
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