Mavs 103
Knicks 101
DALLAS – One night after their shocker of a victory in Houston, the Knicks provided another shocker last night – they stayed razor-close with the Mavericks all night long.
Stephon Marbury carried the Knicks on his shoulders in the fourth quarter, but in the last seconds he probably made one pass too many.
With the Knicks trailing by two points, Marbury passed up an open 3-pointer, shoveling it to the left wing for ice-cold Tim Thomas, whose potential game-winning trey bounced off the rim, just as his shots have bounced off the iron all season.
The Knicks (3-5) retained possession with 1.1 seconds left and, ironically, Thursday night hero Jamal Crawford (26 points) had a chance at another miracle. But after catching the inbounds pass about 35 feet from the basket, Crawford’s desperation heave fell wide right and short for an airball as the Mavericks escaped with a 103-101 victory.
At least it wasn’t a blowout, as is the norm when the Knicks come to Big D, where they had lost seven straight.
The Knicks finished the four-game trip 1-3 but with their heads held up after Thursday’s great win in Houston on Crawford’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer and last night’s stout competition.
Marbury scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 24, and kept getting the Knicks back into the game.
Down 103-98 with 35 seconds left, Marbury wouldn’t let them die. He drew a foul from the 3-point line and sank all three free throws, making it 103-101. Then Jerry Stackhouse bricked two free throws, giving the Knicks the ball with 19.2 seconds left before Thomas’ miss.
The Knicks trailed 75-69 after three quarters. Crawford drilled a 3-pointer with 5:54 left to pull the Knicks within 85-83. Marbury kept them at two with a jumper from straightway with 4:33 to go. But Dirk Nowitzki (30 points) pumped in an 18-footer from the right side with 4:20 left.
Then Nowitzki flexed his defensive muscles, blocking a Marbury driving layup attempt, triggering a breakaway fastbreak dunk by Jerry Stackhouse for a 91-85 lead with 3:56 left.
And, as in Houston, the Knicks didn’t go away. Down 95-87 with 4:40 left, Marbury scored 10 straight points, getting them within 96-94 with 2:06 to go.
Marbury drained a 3-pointer, and after a Penny Hardaway steal, Marbury soared in for a layup.
Marbury then tied it at 97 with 1:48 left, converting a conventional 3-point play, beating Nowitzki on a cross-over dribble in the lane, and hitting a righty scoop shot, drawing the foul on the Mavs’ big man.
Then it came apart, with Hardaway foiling their plans of a second straight comeback win. Down two, Hardaway made just 1 of 2 free throws, keeping the Knicks down 99-98 with 1:11 left. Stackhouse then blew by Hardaway for a layup with 47 seconds left for a 101-98 lead.
Hardaway came down and missed an open trey from the right wing. The Knicks recovered but Crawford missed a 3-pointer from the right corner. Kurt Thomas was called for a foul on the rebound, fouling out. Nowitzki canned two free throws and the Mavs were up 103-98 with 30 seconds left.