Spurs Still Have Answer for Knicks

The New York Knicks were looking for a little revenge. The San Antonio Spurs simply wanted to prove to themselves that they can still play championship-caliber basketball.

The Spurs got a good indication they can Saturday night with a 96-83 victory at San Antonio in the first matchup between the teams since last season’s NBA finals.

Tim Duncan had 33 points and 15 rebounds and Terry Porter added 18 points and 11 rebounds in his first start of the season in front of 34,429 at the Alamodome, the Spurs’ largest home crowd of the season.

“It’s a little early, but it’s great to have a game like this,” Duncan said. “This is the kind of game that can really start something. We played four good quarters for the first time in a long time.”

The Spurs, who won four of five games to defeat the Knicks in last season’s finals, outscored New York, 25-11, in the decisive third quarter.

After leading 52-48 at the start of the period, the Spurs used a 17-9 run to open a 69-57 lead. Porter and Mario Elie each made three-point shots before Duncan converted a three-point play.

Duncan, who scored only nine points in a loss to Portland three days earlier, had 11 points in the third. The Knicks, who tied their season low for points in a quarter, never again got their deficit below 10.

Larry Johnson’s three-point basket pulled New York to 89-78 with 3:05 to play before Porter answered with a three-pointer on the other end.

“I don’t feel tired,” a smiling Porter said after playing 38 minutes, well above his season average of 21. “That was a big game for us.”

Porter learned at Friday’s shoot-around he would start.

“He’s a seasoned veteran. We don’t want him playing too many minutes,” said Spurs Coach Greg Popovich, who added Porter will stay in the starting lineup. “We’re going to stick with this and see what happens.”

New Jersey 98, Dallas 95--Stephon Marbury scored 20 points and drove the length of the court for a go-ahead layup with 24.5 seconds left as the Nets defeated the Mavericks at East Rutherford, N.J.

Kendall Gill led the Nets with 23 points, tying his season high, and added seven rebounds, five steals and four assists. Kerry Kittles was the defensive star, blocking a shot that led to Marbury’s go-ahead layup and limiting Michael Finley, the Mavericks’ leading scorer, to just 10 points.

Orlando 85, Vancouver 82--Pat Garrity made a three-point shot with 13.5 seconds left at Vancouver, Canada, as the Magic ended an eight-game losing streak.

Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Chucky Atkins scored 16 points each as the Magic won for only the second time in 15 games--both wins coming against the Grizzlies.

Chicago 98, Detroit 92--Toni Kukoc led five Bulls in double figures with 22 points, Chris Carr scored a season-high 15 and Dickey Simpkins grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds as the Bulls beat the Pistons at Chicago.

Grant Hill suffered a hip bruise with 20 seconds left in the first half when he leaped for a steal and came down on his tailbone. Hill didn’t play the rest of the game, but team spokesman J.J. Carter said he is expected to play today when the Pistons host the Mavericks.

Utah 104, Sacramento 101--Karl Malone and Bryon Russell each scored 24 points at Sacramento as the Jazz won for the seventh time in nine games and ended the Kings’ seven-game winning streak. The Kings had won 10 in a row at home.

Clinging to a 96-94 lead, Malone drove the lane for a basket and then followed with a jumper, putting Utah ahead 100-94 with 1:09 left.

Charlotte 110, Boston 96--Derrick Coleman had 24 points and 11 rebounds at Charlotte, N.C., as the Hornets won their fourth consecutive game in front of only about 2,000 fans because of a storm that dropped several inches of snow on the Charlotte area.

Eddie Jones added 18 points, and Anthony Mason had seven points, 11 rebounds and eight assists before being ejected for two technical fouls with 1:14 remaining.

Phoenix 101, Cleveland 88--Penny Hardaway returned from a 21-game absence because of a foot injury with 12 points in 28 minutes as the Suns defeated the road-weary Cavaliers at Phoenix.

Jason Kidd had 16 points and 12 assists, Rodney Rogers scored 16 off the bench and Tom Gugliotta had 15 points and nine rebounds as the Suns improved to 13-1 against Eastern Conference teams.

Atlanta 111, Washington 93--Isaiah Rider scored 28 points and Dikembe Mutombo added 17 points, 19 rebounds and six blocked shots for the Hawks at Atlanta.

Philadelphia 103, Indiana 97--Allen Iverson scored 37 points, including a decisive three-point play with 64 seconds left, as the 76ers defeated the Pacers at Philadelphia.