One Down, One to Go for Knicks

After so many hard times in a season of harsh surprises, the New York Knicks clinched a playoff spot Thursday night with, of all things, an easy victory.

The Knicks, who played the final four months of the season without Patrick Ewing (wrist), clinched a postseason spot for the 11th consecutive year with a 108-79 victory over the Toronto Raptors at New York.

Larry Johnson led New York with 26 points.

The Knicks, hoping to avoid the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, now can lock up the No. 7 spot and a first-round matchup with Miami in one of two ways: By winning Saturday at Chicago or having the Nets lose one of their remaining games against Orlando or Detroit.

“Right now, tonight we’re just happy to be there,” Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “Some years, getting in late and just qualifying seventh or eighth would be a disappointment. This year, it’s a success for the players. They really showed a lot of character.”

San Antonio 110, Vancouver 97--Tim Duncan had 32 points and 10 rebounds to lift the Spurs at Vancouver, Canada.

The win pulled the Spurs within a game of Phoenix for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage when the two play in the playoffs next week. Both clubs have two games left.

Utah 99, Sacramento 86--Karl Malone had 21 points and eight rebounds at Salt Lake City as the Jazz improved on the NBA’s best record.

Utah (61-19) moved a full game ahead of Chicago and Seattle (60-20) for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Utah has two games remaining, at Phoenix tonight and at the Lakers on Sunday.

Golden State 88, Dallas 82--Jim Jackson scored 25 points, including a game-clinching layup with 18.8 seconds left, as the Warriors used a game-ending 10-2 run to defeat the Mavericks at Oakland.