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Knicks regroup to beat Heat 116-96
2007-01-26
Jamal Crawford connected on 16 straight shots from the field and scored a career-high 52 points, leading the New York Knicks to a 116-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Four nights after allowing 27 consecutive points in an embarrassing loss to a Miami team that was without Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, the Knicks took control with a run that was nearly as spectacular. Crawford missed his first four shots, then didn't misfire again until 2:16 remained in the third quarter. The Knicks had a 20-point lead by then on their way to snapping a two-game skid. Crawford finished 20-of-30 from the field and 8-for-9 from 3-point range, helping the Knicks shoot 53.6 percent. He left to a standing ovation with 6:51 remaining, shortly after his final basket allowed him to surpass the 50-point performance he had for Chicago against Toronto on April 11, 2004. Wade scored 37 points for Miami, which lost for the fourth time in five games. O'Neal scored 11 in 15 minutes. O'Neal, in his second game back after missing 35 in a row because of knee surgery, rejoined the starting lineup -- Alonzo Mourning was inactive because of flulike symptoms. Starting point guard Jason Williams was limited to 21 minutes off the bench because of a sore left foot. Stephon Marbury returned from a sore knee and had a season-high 13 assists for the Knicks, but starting center Eddy Curry was sidelined after leaving Wednesday's loss to Phoenix with a strained left calf. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas kept Crawford in the starting lineup and moved Quentin Richardson to small forward, sending Jared Jeffries to the bench. Jeffries has been struggling, and Thomas has repeatedly been asked why he was keeping him in the lineup instead of David Lee. Crawford sparked the late first-half run that helped New York seize control, then never let Miami get close in third quarter by scoring 23 points, one shy of the Knicks' record. He hit his first eight 3-point attempts, finishing one shy of tying another New York record. Allan Houston had the last 50-point game by a Knicks player on March 16, 2003, against Milwaukee. The club record for consecutive field goals made is 19 by Johnny Newman, though not all in one game. New York got off to a much better start than it did Monday in Miami, when it trailed 40-12 after one quarter in a 101-83 loss. The game was tied at 25, but Williams and Jason Kapono made consecutive 3-pointers and the Heat led 33-27 after one. Wade scored 14 points and Miami shot 63 percent in the first. The Heat were up 44-42 after Antoine Walker's 3-pointer with 6:09 remaining in the second quarter, but that was their last field goal of the half. Crawford scored five quick points to give the Knicks the lead and spark a 23-5 run that he capped with a four-point play with 0.2 seconds remaining to send New York to the locker room with a 65-49 advantage. Notes:@ Wade and the Knicks' Nate Robinson will defend their titles on All-Star Saturday night. Robinson won the slam dunk contest last year and was invited back despite his 10-game suspension for his role in last month's brawl with the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden. Wade was the champion in the Skills Challenge. ... The Heat had won five in a row at Madison Square Garden.
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