Knicks Pull Bait-and-Switch

The Clippers must have felt like the tourists who have their luggage stolen at JFK, get ripped off by a cab driver on their way into Manhattan, get mugged on the subway and pick-pocketed in Times Square.

That was their mood after squandering a seven-point, fourth-quarter lead in an 89-80 loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 19,763 at Madison Square Garden.

Leading 75-68 after ending the third quarter with a 21-0 spurt, the Clippers were outscored, 17-2, in the final 5:11 and lost for the eighth time in their last nine games. It was also their fifth straight road loss.

“It was a very frustrating game,” Clipper forward Loy Vaught said. “We showed that we can compete, but then we fall short at the end. It’s just real frustrating.”

The Clippers, who didn’t have a field goal in the last five minutes, shot a season-low 17.4% in the fourth quarter, missing 17 of 23 shots.

Trailing, 83-80, the Clippers had a chance to tie the score but guard Malik Sealy, who misfired on 10 of 13 shots after missing the last two games because of an ankle injury, hesitated and missed a wide-open three-point shot with 1:04 remaining.

“It’s like I told the guys in the timeout, ‘Hey, smile. If that one goes in it’s a tie game and everybody’s happy,” Fitch said. “Their last six shots, they make five and we missed seven of eight.

“The toughest thing about climbing the ladder is that you get into a stage where you’re just good enough to win and just good enough to get beat. We got to that stage, but then we lost a guy like Stanley (Roberts) and it drops you down from the just-good-enough-to-win [category] and it makes you vulnerable.”

The Knicks, who were booed when the Clippers outscored them, 27-12, in the third quarter after trailing by 23 in the second, didn’t lose confidence when their lead evaporated.

“It was nothing to be afraid of,” said center Patrick Ewing, who had 28 points and 13 rebounds. “They made a run, but basketball is a game of spurts. They were able to come back in the second half but, fortunately, we kept our composure and held on for the victory.”

Ewing was furious at the fans for booing the Knicks (12-6), who have won three straight.

“They’re annoying me,” Ewing said. “If they’re going to act the way they’re acting they might as well stay home. If they’re going to support us, then support us. If you go other places, even if the team is playing bad, they’ll support you.

“Here, they support you, but if something goes wrong they jump off the bandwagon. I’m just tired of it.”

Allan Houston, who had 14 points, may have made the biggest shot in the game.

With the score tied, 78-78, Vaught stripped the ball from Ewing, but Charles Oakley, who had 14 rebounds and four points, tipped it through Sealy’s legs to Houston, who made an 18-foot jumper with 2:47 remaining.

“That one was a cruncher,” Fitch said. “That basket just broke our backs. It just stripped our guts. It was almost like, ‘here we go again.’ ”

The Clippers got off to a miserable start, scoring only eight points in the first 12 minutes after shooting 17.6%.

“We need to start the game the way we played during that stretch in the third quarter,” Vaught said. “We have to start the game with that energy and execution and end the game that way.”

The Clippers (7-12) finished the game the way they started it.