Marbury Shines, But Knicks Can’t Handle Heat
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
MIAMI – Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat got back on track, while the Knicks kept sliding.
O’Neal had 33 points and 18 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 21, and the Heat limited the Knicks to two field goals in a seven minute stretch of the first half on the way to an 102-94 win last night.
O’Neal made 14 of 21 shots, eclipsing the 30-point and 18-rebound marks for the third time this season. Wade added a game-high nine assists.
Miami led most of the way, held a 44-32 rebounding margin, and showed no ill effects from Monday’s home loss to Seattle, which snapped a franchise record 14-game winning streak.
Stephon Marbury had 28 points and eight assists, while Kurt Thomas matched a season-high with 23 points (on 11-for-15 shooting) and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost their third straight and dropped to 16-16 – still good enough for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The game continued the Knicks’ recent trend of playing from behind. In their last three games, New York has led for 9 minutes, 53 seconds out of a possible 144 minutes.
New York’s largest lead was just four points, and that came in the opening minutes. The Heat steadily built its lead in the first half, pulling away with a 17-8 burst in the second quarter for a 43-29 lead.
The Knicks trailed by 16 points in the third quarter, then chipped away and got within 79-71 on Vin Baker’s jumper with 9:12 remaining. But O’Neal blocked Trevor Ariza’s layup on the Knicks’ next trip, then ran the floor, took a pass from Wade and converted a three-point play with 8:31 left to push the lead back to 11.
The Knicks never got closer than nine again until Marbury’s layup with 13.3 seconds left.
O’Neal’s mere presence, as usual, affected the outcome. He got Knicks center Nazr Mohammed in early foul trouble, and Mohammed was never a real factor, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.
Shandon Anderson, who fell out of favor with Isiah Thomas in New York and was waived in November, had 12 points in 22 minutes for the Heat – matching his total offensive output from his last 11 games combined. Udonis Haslem added 10 for Miami.
Allan Houston, who scored a season high 21 in the Knicks’ loss to Sacramento on Tuesday night, finished with 10.
Guard Penny Hardaway returned to the injured list yesterday. He’s missed half of the Knicks’ 32 games.
