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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) -- Patrick Ewing played so well and was feeling so strong, he had to stop himself from jinxing his good fortune.
|  | | Jahidi White and the Wizards couldn't contain Patrick Ewing, who scored a season-high 30 points. |
"It feels good," Ewing said after scoring a season-high 30 points as the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 101-92 Thursday night. "I mean, for the past two years I've been hurt -- oh, let me knock on wood."
And with that, Ewing rapped his knuckles on the wooden wall of
his locker before finishing his thought.
"We still have eight more games to go, so hopefully I can go
into the playoffs feeling good and have a great playoffs."
The Knicks needed his effort on this night, especially at the
end after Washington cut a 21-point lead to six. Ewing scored eight
points over the final 2:14 to surpass his previous season-high of
25 and seal the victory as the Knicks began a crucial stretch of
four games in five nights.
Ewing shot 10-for-15 from the field and 10-for-10 from the line
with nine rebounds and three blocks. Marcus Camby added 21 points and 15 rebounds off the Knicks' depleted bench, grabbing seven of his rebounds on the offensive end and going 13-for-16 from the free
throw line.
New York's big men dominated their counterparts as Larry Johnson
had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Kurt Thomas had 10 points and eight rebounds, while Washington's Gerard King and Don Reid fouled out.
The Knicks remained two games behind Miami in the Atlantic
Division. They will play Orlando, Miami and Indiana over this
five-day stretch with an eye toward moving into one of the top two
playoff positions in the East.
"Even if we don't win the division, if we end the season on a high note going into the playoffs then the sky's the limit," Ewing said.
The worst news for New York came 40 minutes before the game when John Wallace sprained his left ankle during a 1-on-1 drill with Thomas. Wallace had to be helped off the floor, and the Knicks
immediately placed him on the injured list -- meaning he must miss five games before being eligible to return.
The injury further drained the Knicks' depth, because Chris
Childs was serving the first game of a two-game suspension for
fighting with Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, but it ended up not making much of a difference against a Wizards team that trailed by double digits for much of the final three quarters.
New York took the lead for good with 4 seconds left in the first
quarter, then broke the game open in the second quarter behind 11
points from Allan Houston and eight from Camby to take a 56-39
halftime lead.
The Knicks started to get sloppy with the ball midway through
the third quarter, and consecutive baskets by King cut the Wizards'
deficit to 66-59.
But Ewing then scored six straight points and Camby had a tip-in
and two free throws in a 10-0 run that put the Knicks back ahead by
17.
It was 78-63 entering the fourth and 86-65 with 8:40 left. But
Washington pulled within six with 2:53 remaining before Ewing went
4-for-4 from the line and had a dunk (off an assist from Camby) and
a blocked shot the rest of the way.
"He's been playing well since he came back," Camby said of
Ewing, who missed the first 20 games of the season with an
Achilles tendon injury. "He's had some moments where he didn't
play well, but for the most part he's been playing well --
rebounding, getting blocked shots and doing all the little stuff."
Mitch Richmond had 23 points to lead Washington, which lost for
only the third time in 10 games.
Game notes
The Knicks gained a split of the four-game season series.
... Washington had a three-game road winning streak snapped. ...
New York shot 34-for-39 on free throws. Over the past seven games,
the Knicks are shooting 89 percent from the line. ... Washington
guard Chris Whitney sprained his ankle in the third quarter and did
not return. ... The Knicks placed Chris Dudley on the injured list
with a sore lower back and activated guard David Wingate.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Washington Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
RECAPS
Miami 76
Charlotte 70
New York 101
Washington 92
Chicago 90
Milwaukee 88
Dallas 116
Denver 115
Utah 105
Phoenix 85
Vancouver 89
Portland 87
Minnesota 112
LA Clippers 90
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