Sprewell Pours It On Clippers

Latrell Sprewell stepped into the relative calm behind the three-point arc Tuesday and launched daggers into the hearts of the Clippers. This game was won on the perimeter, on what is typically the fringes of the heated action.

Sprewell would make an NBA record nine three-point baskets without a miss, only a portion of his 38 points on 14-for-19 overall shooting, leading the New York Knicks to a 105-92 victory over the defenseless Clippers at Madison Square Garden.

Near the end, with Laker guard Kobe Bryant’s league record of 12 three-pointers in a game within range, Clipper Coach Alvin Gentry instructed Corey Maggette to guard Sprewell “like we were back in elementary school, not letting him get it to shoot it. He was on an incredible roll.”

At times during the final few moments, the Clippers double-teamed Sprewell far from the basket. Sprewell merely found open teammates with alert passes for easy hoops that enabled the Knicks to turn the game into a runaway.

As a final nod to what remained of an announced crowd of 18,197, who chanted his name, Sprewell faked a pass and drove along the left baseline for a basket and the last of his season-best 38 points and New York’s 105.

“The last three of four he made, we were right there on him,” Gentry said. “He gets in that so-called zone and he’s going to be able to shoot it in the basket. He just got on a roll. What are you going to do? They’ve got Allan Houston on one side of the court and Sprewell on the other. It’s a great combination.”

Houston scored 20 points for the Knicks, who made 14 of 24 three-pointers (58.3%). The Clippers made two of nine three-pointers and committed 20 turnovers, which led to 17 points for New York, and lost their third consecutive game.

Sprewell scored 17 points in the third quarter, hitting 30 by the end of three quarters. With the Knicks seemingly in control, Coach Don Chaney gave Sprewell a rest to start the fourth quarter and he played only the final 6 1/2 minutes.

Neither Maggette nor Quentin Richardson, who led the Clippers with 19 points on eight-for-16 shooting, could handle Sprewell.

“When you are on like that, you just throw it up there,” Sprewell said. “It seems like some you look at and say it’s not going to go in, but the next thing you know it’s in the hole. There were a couple of those that did not feel good [leaving his hands].”

Bryant also made nine consecutive three-pointers en route to his record-setting total of 12 during the Lakers’ victory over the Seattle SuperSonics on Jan. 7 at Staples Center. But Bryant also missed six three-point attempts.

Sprewell made nine attempts and nine snapped the net. Jeff Hornacek, Sam Perkins and Steve Smith each held the previous league record with eight-for-eight three-point shooting.

“I really wasn’t aware that he made that many consecutive threes,” Chaney said. “I knew they were going in, but I didn’t know there were that many in a row.... I don’t mind the three-point shot, if it’s a good one. What disturbs me at times about the three is when you start taking contested threes.”

At the start, when the Clippers were within striking distance, Sprewell found acres of open space behind the arc. The Knicks led, 21-7, after Sprewell’s second three-pointer late in the first quarter, capping a 12-0 run.

“It was very frustrating,” forward Elton Brand said after scoring 16 points and taking 12 rebounds in 43 minutes. “We haven’t played well, but we haven’t played this bad in a while. Voshon Lenard had 30-something off the bench Sunday [for Toronto] and before that Ricky Davis got 30-whatever [last week for Cleveland] and it was Sprewell tonight getting 30-something. It’s team defense. One person can’t get hot like that and get 30-something on us without us fighting.”

Next: Sprewell and the Knicks play host to the Lakers and Bryant in a matchup of the league’s record-breaking three-point shooters Friday.