Knicks’ Rally Comes Up Short Against T-Wolves
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Troy Hudson knocked down the big shots and Wally Szczerbiak knocked out Stephon Marbury. That combination helped the Minnesota Timberwolves win a game that didn’t seem like it was going to be close.
Hudson scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 7.3 seconds left, as the Timberwolves held off the Knicks 96-90 yesterday.Min nesota snapped a seven-game road skid and won its third in the row overall.
Szczerbiak and Kevin Garnett each scored 24 points for the Timberwolves, who seemed to be in control after building a 19-point lead in the third quarter. But the Knicks nearly rallied in the fourth – despite having to play half the final period without Marbury – forcing Hudson to hit a couple of huge shots.
Marbury scored 20 points before leaving midway through the fourth quarter when he collided with Szczerbiak while trying to fight through a pick – and he took issue with it.
“It was a dirty pick,”Marbury said.”I knew I was hurt when I went back in and I couldn’t get my arms up without any pain.”
Szczerbiak said Marbury was upset about the play. “He said, ‘We have a beef,’ ” Szczerbiak said. X-rays revealed no fracture, and Marbury’s status is not known.He has played in 280 consecutive games,the fifth-longest current streak in the league.
Quentin Richardson scored 14 for the Knicks and Nate Robinson added 13 – nine in the final period,when the Knicks pulled within two. New York has lost two straight after winning six in a row.
Two free throws by Robinson cut the deficit to two with 32 seconds left,but the Wolves ran the clock down before Hudson hit his 3-pointer to make it 95-90.
Jaric made the first two field goals of the third quarter and scored six points in a 10-1 run to open the half that gave the Wolves a 62-48 lead, which they kept extending while the Knicks struggled to find any good shots against the zone.
The Knicks didn’t have a field goal until Antonio Davis’s dunk nearly 5 minutes into the half, and they made just two of their first 12 shots.The lead grew to 72-53 when Hassell made a pair of free throws with 4:48 remaining in the third before the Knicks made it close by ending the quarter with a 12-2 spurt.
