Knicks Win With Fists and Free Throws

The fight went the New York Knicks’ way, and so did the game.

A fourth-quarter shoving match caused Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning to be ejected along with New York reserve Buck Williams, and the Knicks defeated the Heat, 100-99, on Saturday at Miami.

“It’s an all-out war,” New York guard Chris Childs said. “There’s no room for the weak when we play those guys.”

The wild game meant more to the Knicks, who are trying to shake a late-season slump. They began the day tied with Atlanta for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

“They came out strong, really desperate,” said Heat Coach Pat Riley. “There was a lot of pressure on them and they did what they had to do to win.”

New York survived a pair of three-point baskets by Hardaway in the final seven seconds. Two free throws by New York’s Charles Oakley with six seconds left made the score, 100-96.

“Been there, done that,” Oakley said. “I’m just glad I could knock them down.”

The Knicks sank 33 of 36 free throws, including 15 of 16 in the final 3 1/2 minutes. They snapped the Heat’s six-game winning streak and took the season series, 3-1.

Hardaway scored 28 points. Patrick Ewing had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.

Cleveland 125, Philadelphia 118--Allen Iverson scored a career-high 50 points at Cleveland, tying the second-highest total in the NBA this season, for his fourth consecutive game with at least 40.

The Cleveland victory and Washington loss to Charlotte put the Cavaliers and Bullets in a tie for the eighth Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Iverson scored 39 points in a scintillating second half, including 23 in the fourth quarter, to become the first rookie to score at least 40 points in four straight games.

Seattle 96, San Antonio 91--Shawn Kemp’s game-high 23 points and the SuperSonics shutout defense down the stretch helped Seattle survive a furious comeback by the Spurs at San Antonio.

The SuperSonics led, 77-59, with two minutes left in the third quarter. But the Spurs went on a 30-8 run to grab a four-point lead with 4:24 left in the fourth. Then Kemp took over with six points down the stretch as Seattle held San Antonio scoreless until :07 left.

Charlotte 99, Washington 97--Ricky Pierce’s three-point basket with 5.7 seconds left gave the Hornets the victory at Charlotte.

The Hornets trailed, 97-94, with 1:05 left, but Glen Rice made a pair of free throws and Malik Rose rebounded a miss by Rod Strickland to set up Pierce’s winning shot.

Chris Webber and Juwan Howard paced the Bullets with 25 and 17 points, and Strickland added 16. Washington fell into a tie with Cleveland for the final playoff spot.

Orlando 121, Boston 98--Gerald Wilkins came off the bench to score 22 points and the Magic clinched a playoff berth with the rout at Orlando, Fla.

Rony Seikaly had 21 points and 19 rebounds, while Horace Grant scored 21 on nine-for-13 shooting to help Orlando move a step closer to securing the seventh seed in the East. Cleveland and Washington, whose loss at Charlotte assured the Magic a playoff spot, trail the Magic by four games in the race to avoid a first-round matchup against the Chicago Bulls.

Indiana 100, Toronto 89--Rik Smits scored 23 points, including two key field goals down the stretch, as the Pacers kept their slim playoff hopes alive by defeating the Raptors at Toronto.

Carlos Rogers, who scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, cut the Pacer lead to 91-87 with 2:55 to play before Smits, who was playing with five fouls, dunked over Rogers for a 93-87 lead with 2:38 to play.

Smits, who had 10 rebounds and three blocks, followed with a 13-foot jump shot for an eight-point lead with 1:54 remaining.

Atlanta 80, Minnesota 66--The Hawks held the Timberwolves to franchise scoring lows for a first half and a game, and spoiled the Timberwolves’ chance to celebrate their first playoff berth at home.

Steve Smith had 25 points as Atlanta won for the 11th time in 13 games to remain tied with New York for the third Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Timberwolves, who two nights earlier on the road clinched the first playoff berth in their eight-year history, got 21 points and 15 rebounds from Kevin Garnett.

Vancouver 96, Dallas 85--Rookie Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 30 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds as the Grizzlies snapped a nine-game losing streak at Dallas.

Vancouver had lost its first seven meetings with Dallas, but the Grizzlies took control with a 25-16 second quarter and handed the Mavericks their 13th defeat in 14 games.