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Knicks get rare 94-93 home win over Jazz
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-20 10:39
Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 24 points in the final five minutes,
including a rare four-point play and a sweet crossover move that led to a key
basket in the New York Knicks' 94-93 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
New York Knicks'
Jamal Crawford (11) shoots over Utah Jazz's Raja Bell (19) during the
second half of play on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2004 at New York's Madison Square
Garden. Crawford scored 24 points in the Knicks 94-93 win over the Jazz.
[AP] | Crawford was his usual erratic self,
missing his first six shots before eventually finding his stroke. His running
floater off a nifty move against Raja Bell made it 90-86 with 27 seconds left,
and Stephon Marbury's two free throws with 6.4 remaining gave New York a
four-point lead.
Marbury had 19 points and 12 assists, Michael Sweetney scored 13 and Kurt
Thomas grabbed 14 of the Knicks' 29 rebounds as New York won at home over the
Jazz for the first time in more than eight years.
Matt Harpring scored 21, Bell added 20 and Carlos Boozer 19 for the Jazz, who
dropped their seventh consecutive road game.
Crawford led the Knicks in scoring for the 11th time this season and the
fourth time in the past five games. He seemingly solidified his starting spot at
shooting guard despite the recent return of Allan Houston, who coach Lenny
Wilkens has said will eventually reclaim a spot in the starting five.
Again showing a knack for hitting clutch shots, Crawford made a 3-pointer for
a 79-79 tie with 4:36 left, then gave the Knicks an 83-81 lead on his four-point
play with 3:50 left.
Boozer made a pair of free throws to tie it before Marbury backed in for a
three-point play with 2:03 remaining that gave the Knicks the lead for good.
Bell's 3-pointer made it 88-86 before Crawford found himself isolated against
Bell on the perimeter. Switching the ball on the dribble from one side to the
other, Crawford got Bell to commit one way as he quickly darted to his right for
a running 12-footer that restored a four-point lead.
Crawford's two free throws with 16.7 seconds left restored another four-point
lead for the Knicks, who won for the fourth time in five games.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan made a major change to his starting lineup, replacing
center Mehmet Okur with little-used Aleksandar Radojevic.
"I thought he played pretty well the other night. I thought he deserved a
chance," Sloan said of the 7-foot-3 Radojevic, whose defensive presence helped
Utah trim a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit against Boston two nights
earlier.
Okur, who signed a six-year, $50 million free agent contract with the Jazz
over the summer, had 13 points and 14 rebounds in a reserve role.
Marbury scored the final five points of the first half, giving the Knicks a
51-46 lead, but Utah opened the second half with a 10-2 run to go ahead. New
York was ahead 65-63 entering the fourth quarter, and no more than four points
separated the teams in the final 12 minutes.
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