NEW YORK (AP) -- Stephon Marbury had 23 points and 15 assists, the final one setting up rookie David Lee for the tiebreaking basket with 21 seconds left, and the New York Knicks beat the Seattle SuperSonics 120-116 Sunday for their season-high third straight win.
The Knicks' best stretch of the season coincides with Marbury's, who is averaging 23.5 points and 12 assists over the last four games. He scored 15 points in the second half, including a flurry late in the third quarter.
Maurice Taylor also scored 23 points and Eddy Curry added 22 for the Knicks, who erased a 12-point first-half deficit. Nate Robinson finished with 17 points.
With the game tied at 113 after Ray Allen's miss, the Knicks ran the shot clock down before Marbury found Lee in the corner for a jumper.
Seattle had a chance to tie, but Luke Ridnour missed two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining. Trevor Ariza rebounded and was fouled, making both free throws for a four-point advantage.
Vladimir Radmanovic's eighth 3-pointer made it 117-116, but Nate Robinson answered with two free throws with 6.1 to play. Allen missed a 3-pointer and Lee made one free throw for the final margin.
Radmanovic scored a career-high 30 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. He scored five straight points to give the Sonics a 113-111 lead with just over a minute remaining before Curry tied it for the final time with two free throws.
Allen scored for 33 points for the Sonics, who fell to 1-2 since firing Bob Weiss and replacing him with former Knicks coach Bob Hill. Rashard Lewis added 19.
The Sonics shot 64 percent in the first quarter to open a 35-25 lead. Robinson scored seven straight points to key a 12-2 run that gave the Knicks a one-point lead with 1:52 remaining in the half, and Seattle took a 61-62 lead into the break.
Allen scored 22 points in the half.
There were eight lead changes and four ties in the third quarter. Marbury scored nine straight New York points, and his layup with 1 second remaining gave the Knicks a 91-89 lead entering the final period. ^Notes The Sonics lost for the first time in four Sunday games this season. ... Knicks swingman Quentin Richardson returned after missing three straight games with back spasms. ... New York guard Jamal Crawford missed his second in a row because of sprained left foot.
Quote:January 9, 2006
Knicks 120, SuperSonics 116
Knicks Build a Victory in an Unexpected Way
By HOWARD BECK
A poor free-throw shooter delivered in crunch time. A brilliant free-throw shooter hiccupped. A derided role player regained his honor. A player presumed to have no jump shot made the biggest one.
This is probably not a formula for sustained success, but in the unusual and the unexpected, the Knicks have at least found short-term contentment.
With Eddy Curry at the line and David Lee deep in the corner and Trevor Ariza rising again, the Knicks kicked past the Seattle SuperSonics, 120-116, and stretched their winning streak to three games yesterday at Madison Square Garden.
The new year continued to be a happy one, with a 3-0 record, and a victory total that eclipsed the Knicks' total for all of last January (2-13). They have their first three-game winning streak since last February, and suddenly all the jagged edges seem to be softening.
"I think everyone finally just clicked with each other," the rookie Channing Frye said.
Three Knicks scored at least 20 points. Stephon Marbury led the way with 23 points and 15 assists. Maurice Taylor, only recently given a major role, also scored 23 points as the Knicks overcame a 3-point assault from Seattle (14 for 35 from the arc).
The Sonics fell to 14-19, and 1-2 since Bob Hill replaced Bob Weiss as coach last week.
Ray Allen led Seattle with 33 points. Vladimir Radmanovic added 30 points and hit eight 3-pointers. Radmanovic hit two 3-pointers down the stretch, the second one tying the score at 111-111.
Then the game turned unusual. Curry, a 64 percent foul shooter this season, hit two to tie the score again with little more than more a minute left. Lee, who only recently developed his jumper, took a pass from Marbury and hit a 20-footer from the right side to make the score 115-113.
It finally came down to Sonics guard Luke Ridnour, standing at the foul line with 9.8 seconds left. Ridnour was 79 for 83 for the season, but he misfired twice. The Knicks sealed the victory with free throws by Ariza, Nate Robinson and Lee.
Coach Larry Brown marveled at the contrast in fortunes.
"Those things are hard to understand," he said. But the Knicks (10-21) are becoming a more poised crunch-time team, and Brown noted, "I think we got a little more confidence."
No one's fortunes changed faster than Ariza's. A week ago, Brown said he was out of the rotation. Ariza seemed crushed and confused. A few days later, Brown called Ariza delusional - three times - for claiming not to understand the decision.
Far from benched, Ariza was indispensable yesterday. He grabbed two defensive rebounds in the final 42 seconds and - a 57 percent foul shooter himself - made two free throws with 8.8 seconds left.
Ariza said he met with Brown last week - "the day before he said the D word" - but politely steered clear of revisiting the issue. That, as much as his play, is an indication that the 20-year-old Ariza did some maturing last week.
"That's the only way to get back in good graces or be on the court, doing what I want to do, play basketball, is by just staying away from this stuff," said Ariza, who received a lot of advice from his older teammates in recent days. "It's hard. But you've to do it. That's what this league is about, being professional."
Curry looked as if he might dominate the game when he opened with 10 quick points against the rookie Johan Petro. But Curry played just four minutes in the second quarter, then got into foul trouble in the third quarter. He finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds.
The Knicks are 3-1 since Curry rejoined the starting lineup. After using 18 different lineups in the first 27 games, Brown has stuck with the same group for four straight games, and he has kept his rotation tighter.
"I think the only way we can start to play better is if you limit the rotation and play the young kids," Brown said, "because that's our future right now."
REBOUNDS
Larry Brown's stinging remarks two weeks ago may have spurred a resurgence by Stephon Marbury, but Brown said his criticism was not intended as motivation. "You ask me a question, I answer it honestly," Brown said. "I'd rather have it where I say what I feel, because I tell my players the exact same thing. But I don't pick spots to do it." On Saturday, Marbury said he disagreed with Brown's habit of publicly critiquing players. "I don't get into that," Brown said. "I coached him 28 games, and I questioned two shots he's taken in 28 games. And one game, I didn't like the way he played. Steph Marbury has been great, he's getting better. I don't know what motivates players, but I think you try to coach them and make them better, and that's what I do." Brown did agree, as Marbury said, that the Knicks were trying to adjust to his methods. "You get a new girlfriend, you have to adjust," Brown said. "But I have to adjust to players as well." ... Channing Frye hurt his left ankle when Nate Robinson tumbled into him. Frye said that the ankle was "just a little tender" and that he did not expect to miss any time. ... Jamal Crawford missed his second straight game because of a sprained foot. ... Antonio Davis and Quentin Richardson, both coping with back spasms, played limited minutes. ... The Knicks commentator John Andariese is recovering from eye surgery. His return date has not been determined, the MSG Network said.
this team is fun to follow. it's not a boring losing season, and I think it's because of the media pumping the Larry vs Stephon angle. Neither one of them have a problem saying something insane about each other in the papers, and yet you'll see these pictures of Steph hugging Brown, and validating the other's existance in the end. It's like a made for tv movie.
And on top of it all, there is the rookie Channing Frye. I love when he's referred to as The Rookie Channing Frye.
KNICK NOTES
Ten days ago in Milwaukee, John Starks and Stephon Marbury found a hidden corridor inside Bradley Center before the Knicks faced the Bucks. Starks, who's wearing many hats with the Knicks these days, had an animated chat with Marbury, whose relationship with Larry Brown had reached a new low.
During Thursday's practice, the former Knick guard sat down with embattled Trevor Ariza for a heart-to-heart with the 19-year-old sophomore who was feuding with Brown.
Starks knows a thing or two about battling with coaches — he and Jeff Van Gundy had their share of run-ins.
"I'm strong-willed, Jeff is strong-willed," Starks said. "When you got two strong-willed people, you're going to butt heads. And Steph and coach Brown are two strongminded individuals. But they'll come to a common ground."
Since the Starks talk, Marbury has played his best basketball as a Knick, averaging 11 assists and 23.4 points, as the Knicks (9-21) are riding a season-high two-game win streak entering today's 1 p.m. matinee against the Sonics.
"I told him just relax and play basketball, go out and be aggressive," said Starks. "It's the most important thing because we need for him to score. He understands that. He's had a complete game on both ends of the floor the last three games."
Starks' title is alumni relations advisor and today he will host kids from the National Alliance of Autism Research as part of the Knicks' Autism Awareness Day when they face the Sonics. Starks is also doing radio and TV work and becoming a sounding board for the players.
"Coach Brown told me to pull players aside and talk to them," Starks said. "Stephon knows Brown is a great coach. It's just he's played a certain way for so long and the system is so different from what he's used to. It's a transition period. Great players adapt. I don't see him not adjusting."
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Channing Frye
The Sonics lost for the first time in four Sunday games this season. ... Knicks swingman Quentin Richardson returned after missing three straight games with back spasms. ... New York guard Jamal Crawford missed his second in a row because of sprained left foot.
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