Knicks 97 - Nuggets 88

January 22, 2003

NEW YORK (AP) -- If not for Allan Houston, the lack of effort from the New York Knicks might have provided the Denver Nuggets with a rare road win.

Houston scored 24 of his 37 points in the first half and the Knicks pulled away from the Nuggets in the third quarter for a 97-88 victory Wednesday night.

Latrell Sprewell added 17 and the Knicks shot 10-of-19 on 3-pointers to win their third straight despite foul trouble that gave Denver an advantage inside.

``The whole first half ... the energy was low, the passion was low,'' said Houston, who rebounded from a 1-of-7 shooting performance Monday against Miami. ``We knew we couldn't continue to just go through the motions. At some point we had to pick it up.''

Juwan Howard scored 28 and Donnell Harvey had 19 for the Nuggets, who outrebounded the Knicks 35-32 and led by as many as nine points in the third quarter.

Denver has lost five straight on the road and has not defeated an Eastern Conference opponent on the road in eight chances this season.

 
``If you come out and play a certain way, you have a chance to win and beat anybody,'' Knicks coach Don Chaney said. ``The same thing holds true if you don't come out and play a certain way: You can get beat by anybody.''

The Knicks proved both Wednesday.

After leading by as many as eight points in the first half, the Nuggets sagged at the end of the second quarter and held a 54-50 lead at halftime.

``We gave up a lot of lay-ups in the first half, just gave up way too many points,'' Sprewell said. ``In the second half, we buckled down defensively.''

New York center Kurt Thomas picked up his fourth foul at the beginning of the third quarter, and the Nuggets took advantage.

Harvey hit a pair of free throws and Nene Hilario had a pair of dunks to give Denver a 59-50 lead.

But Sprewell hit a 3-pointer and Houston had a 3 and a jumper in a 12-2 run that put the Knicks up 62-61, and Howard Eisley broke a 65-all tie with a 3-pointer just 3 minutes before the end of the third.
 
Sprewell followed with a 3-pointer of his own, and the Knicks built a seven-point lead that was never really threatened in the fourth.

The Nuggets, who lead the league in turnovers per game, committed 15 Wednesday -- including four late in the third quarter when they went 3:15 without scoring and the Knicks surged ahead. Denver also missed several easy shots inside in the final 15 minutes, giving the Knicks fast break opportunities.

``I'm tired of hearing about frustration, because I'm encouraged,'' Denver coach Jeff Bzdelik said. ``We are starting three rookies, and we're in games. We're not getting blown out, we're in games.''

In the third, Bzdelik even reinserted Rodney White into the lineup after the forward got sick and vomited on the floor in the first.

``The way Allan Houston was going,'' Bzdelik said, noting that White wantedto play, ``I was just looking for someone to go in there.''

Notes

Houston's season-high is 39 in a Nov. 2 loss to Boston. ... The game was the first between the Knicks and Nuggets since the teams swapped forwards. Marcus Camby sat on the Denver bench with a sprained right ankle, while Antonio McDyess has been sidelined since fracturing his left patella in the preseason. ... In that trade, New York included the seventh pick in the 2002 draft, Nene Hilario of Brazil. The 6-11 forward, a starter for the Nuggets, and is the only member of the trade not currently on the injured list. ``One thing I was extremely fond of was that he was fresh. He wanted to play and was untainted,''New York coach Don Chaney said. Hilario scored 11 points.

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