Rice-Led Knicks Win Latest Duel With Heat

There was a close finish and a near-bench-clearing altercation.

Pretty typical for New York Knick-Miami Heat games.

This time Glen Rice made the difference. Rice scored 29 points for the Knicks, who defeated the Heat, 103-100, in a wild overtime game at Miami.

Rice, who began his career with the Heat, made 10 of 15 shots and was perfect from three-point range (four for four) and from the free-throw line (five for five).

“He made the game look easy today,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said. “He is a great player. We didn’t forget about him.”

For the Heat, the game came down to missed opportunities.

Eddie Jones missed a pair of free throws in the final minute of regulation, Bruce Bowen missed the first of two free throws that could have tied the score in overtime and Eddie House missed a wide-open three-point shot from the corner as time expired.

“We came up short,” Riley said.

But the game had plenty of tension.

With less than a minute remaining, Anthony Mason bumped Larry Johnson as they were running across the court, and then Johnson grabbed Mason’s jersey.

Words were exchanged, double technicals were called and Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy was once again in the middle, trying to break things up. No punches were thrown and both players stayed in the game.

Last month, Van Gundy required several stitches around an eye after he was struck by the Knicks’ Marcus Camby, who was swinging at San Antonio’s Danny Ferry.

Mason finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“Both team like to play against each other and both teams like to have a little bragging rights, but it’s a little too emotional out there,” Miami’s Tim Hardaway said.

Phoenix 85, Charlotte 82--Tom Gugliotta had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Kidd scored seven points in the last 2 1/2 minutes for the Suns at Phoenix.

Cliff Robinson added 15 points for the Suns.

Jamal Mashburn scored 27 for the Hornets, who lost the final three games of a four-game trip.

Boston 103, Cleveland 82--Antoine Walker scored 19 of his 36 points in the third quarter at Boston and helped the Celtics get their sixth victory in a row.

The win lifted the Boston over Cleveland into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot with Indiana. The Celtics have not qualified for the playoffs since 1995.

New Jersey 96, Philadelphia 89--Stephon Marbury scored 34 points and Kenyon Martin and Keith Van Horn each scored 20 at East Rutherford, N.J., to help the Nets end their seven-game losing streak.

Allen Iverson scored 33 for the 76ers, but only two in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia’s Toni Kukoc was sidelined for the fifth consecutive game because a lower back strain and did not play against the Nets.