Knicks Earn Brown First Home Victory

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The New York Sun

Knicks coach Larry Brown had a feeling that Stephon Marbury was ready for a breakout game.


Marbury scored a season-high 27 points yesterday to help New York beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-92, giving Brown his first Knicks victory at Madison Square Garden.


“I thought Steph was phenomenal,” Brown said. “I loved the way he was being aggressive. I told people before the game he would play great.”


Marbury’s cousin Sebastian Telfair had a career-high 27 points for the Blazers in his return home.


“Getting a chance to play at the Garden is a special thing,” Telfair said. “I give it to the Knicks, they won.”


Channing Frye added 20 points and Jamal Crawford had 19 for New York. Zach Randolph had 17 points and Darius Miles added 16 for the Blazers, who opened a seven-game road trip.


Marbury left the game with 44.2 seconds left and New York leading 103-92, drawing a standing ovation.


“It’s always great to win,” Marbury said. “Winning for coach being that it was his first game.”


Brown had hoped Marbury would be more aggressive, and his star responded with 14 points in the first half.


“I felt like I was going to come out and play the way I know how to play basketball,” Marbury said.


The Knicks (3-7) used a 16-5 run over the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to turn a 70-69 deficit into a 85-75 lead. Frye had eight points during that span.


Portland shot 55% from the field (33-for-60), but had a season-high 23 turnovers, including seven by Miles.


“It’s all about numbers and points, we had no focus on the defensive end,” said Portland coach Nate McMillian. “We have too many people concerned about numbers, touches, and the way they look as opposed to playing the right way.”


Juan Dixon had 11 points in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers, to try and keep the Blazers (3-5) close.


But the Trail Blazers could get no closer than seven points.


Telfair had 19 points in the first half, including 13 in the second quarter.The guard from Brooklyn hit two 3-pointers and an acrobatic drive to help Portland take a 57-54 lead at the half.


“Sebastian is getting better every second of every game,”Brown said.”He made some plays that you don’t see many people make.”


The Trail Blazers shot 58.8% (20-for-34) in the first 24 minutes.


Eddy Curry kept the Knicks close with 12 points in the first half, but didn’t return. He has been slowed by a left calf injury.


“I have been trying to play through it, but it hurt a little bit,” Curry said.”It got a little sore as I played. I just have to take care of it so that it is not a nagging injury.”


Frye is the first Knicks rookie to lead the team in scoring more than once in a season since Mark Jackson did it 11 times in the 1987-88 season.


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