Trail Blazers Make Knicks Pay for Error

Thanks in part to a mental mistake by Allan Houston of the New York Knicks, the Portland Trail Blazers won for the 10th time in 11 games and finished their latest five-game trip with a 4-1 record.

With the Knicks needing a three-pointer to tie, Houston drove in from the three-point line and missed a 14-footer with three seconds left in a 92-89 loss to the Trail Blazers on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Trail Blazers completed their second five-game trip in four weeks and are 20-12, leaving them four games behind first-place Sacramento in the Pacific Division.

Sacramento 96, Miami 70 -- The Kings never trailed in improving to 15-2 at Sacramento.

Mike Bibby, who scored 22 points, shot poorly in the first half but made all five shots and scored 12 points in the third quarter.

Bibby made a jump shot with 2.2 seconds left and Doug Christie stole the inbounds pass and made a basket at the buzzer, putting Sacramento ahead, 75-56, entering the fourth quarter.

Each team played without its leading scorer. Chris Webber sat out his second straight game because of a bruised left knee, while an ankle injury kept the Heat’s Eddie Jones sidelined.

New Orleans 99, Toronto 84 -- A balanced offensive performance by the Hornets at Toronto meant another loss for the Raptors -- their 10th in a row.

Jamal Mashburn scored 22 points, David Wesley had 20, P.J. Brown had 16 and Stacey Augmon and Jamaal Magloire each scored 11 for New Orleans.