Knicks' Big Three topple Spurs

Latrell Sprewell scored 20 points and Glen Rice rebounded from the worst game of his career with 19 points and 12 boards Thursday night, rallying the Knicks past the Spurs.

"We came in here and showed a lot of heart," said Rice, who made eight of 13 shots after missing all six shots and going scoreless in 25 minutes in Wednesday's 94-85 drubbing to Dallas. "We bounced back from one of our worst games of the season, and we played hard on the defensive end," Rice added.

Allan Houston, New York's other shooting guard, added 17 points, while Marcus Camby chipped in with 16, as the Knicks gained a split of their two-game Texas trip. "A lot of people thought we were going to get blown out," Camby said. "We knew we could win and showed it."

Tim Duncan collected 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who fell to 8-1 at the Alamo Dome. Derek Anderson had 15 points and David Robinson, the other half of the mighty "Twin Towers," finished with just 11 points on a miserable 3-of-15 shooting.

"You have to give them credit," said Duncan, who praised the Knicks' league-leading defence. "They played great defence. They always have, they always will. They were real tough down the stretch." The Knicks trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before Sprewell and Rice hit back-to-back jumpers, giving the visitors an 84-79 lead with 4:04 left.

However, Sean Elliott and Anderson countered, pulling the Spurs to within one with 68 seconds to go. Duncan missed a potential go-ahead jumper and Rice pulled down the rebound with 36 seconds remaining. Houston then drained a 22-footer from the top of the key, to give New York an 86-83 advantage with 15 seconds left.

San Antonio went for the tie but Anderson's 3-point try was an airball with 11 seconds left. The Spurs guard, however, forced a jump ball and gained possession. But his second game-tying 3-point attempt bounced off the rim and the Knicks grabbed the rebound as the final horn sounded.

(la/dpa)