ORLANDO - Life on the road has not been this good for the Knicks in years. Seven, to be exact.
The Knicks claimed their third straight win, all on the road, routing the Magic 114-86 Monday night. It is the longest run of success they have had outside Madison Square Garden since Nov.7-10, 1996.
"The big thing for us right now is our defense," coach Don Chaney said after New York limited Orlando to 33.7 percent shooting. "We're talking more, covering all the areas and really following the game plan."
The Magic played the final three quarters without Tracy McGrady, who had a strained hip flexor and is day to day. McGrady took only two shots in 11 minutes and missed both, the first time he has been scoreless since joining the Magic three seasons ago.
New York had as much success offensively as defensively, shooting 55 percent from the field. That included 15 of 26 3-pointers against Orlando's zone defense.
Keith Van Horn led the Knicks with 19 points and 10 rebounds. New York led by as many 22 in the first half and held a 92-64 lead when the starters left at the end of the third.
PACERS 94, GRIZZLIES 86: Ron Artest capped an eventful and contentious day, coming off the bench to score 18 for host Indiana. Artest was taken out of the starting lineup after he overslept and missed the morning shootaround.
Artest met with coach Rick Carlisle, CEO Donnie Walsh and president Larry Bird to address the situation, then said he would not play because of a sore lower back. But he changed his mind before game time and entered with just under five minutes left in the first.
Artest shot 7-of-10 from the field, and Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points and 13 rebounds as Indiana handed the Grizzlies their sixth straight loss.
Artest scored a fastbreak dunk in the midst of a 10-0 run in the third quarter that helped the Pacers take control. Indiana used a 10-2 run in the fourth to seal it. Pau Gasol led the Grizzlies with 20 points and eight rebounds.
BLAZERS 91, NETS 87: Portland became the last team to win on the road this season, getting a lift from its defense and rebounding in the fourth quarter. Rasheed Wallace scored 16, and Zach Randolph had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Jeff McInnis added 13 points for the Trail Blazers, who outrebounded the Nets 44-28 in beating them a second time this season. Richard Jefferson had 24 points and Kenyon Martin added 19 for New Jersey, which had a six-game home streak snapped.
Portland used a 17-6 fourth-quarter run and 14-7 edge on the boards to take control.
HEAT 90, BULLS 83: Brian Grant scored 12 of his 18 in the pivotal third quarter, and visiting Miami overcame a 17-point deficit. Lamar Odom had 25 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which has won eight of its past 12. Grant also had 12 rebounds. Jerome Williams scored 14 and matched his season high with 16 rebounds for the Bulls, who blew their biggest lead of the season in front of Michael Jordan. Chicago is 0-3 this season when Jordan is at the game. The Bulls led by 17 with 2:22 left in the first half, then went almost five minutes without scoring. Miami took advantage with a 15-2 run, pulling within 45-33 at the half.
JAZZ 106, 76ERS 97: Matt Harpring scored 19 against his former team and Raul Lopez had 13 points and 10 assists off the bench to lead host Utah. The Jazz, who swept the season series against Philadelphia for the second time in three years, won for the first time when scoring 100 or more. The Jazz was 0-3 when topping 100. The Sixers, playing their eighth straight without Allen Iverson (knee), lost for the fifth time in six games.
SONICS 87, ROCKETS 86: Vladimir Radmanovic sank a pair of key 3-pointers and Ray Allen hit a pressure free throw with four seconds left to lift visiting Seattle. Allen led the SuperSonics with 28 points. The Rockets led by as many as nine three times in the second quarter and were ahead 63-60 entering the fourth.
PISTONS 108, HORNETS 99: Chauncey Billups scored 31 and Ben Wallace added 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead host Detroit. The Hornets overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth but couldn't take the lead. The score was tied at 87 with 7:56 left before Detroit's 8-3 run sealed it. Detroit got 13 points and seven assists from Richard Hamilton in posting its highest point total of the season. The Pistons reached 100 for the first time since beating the Lakers 106-96 on Nov.18. David Wesley scored 22 and Baron Davis added 19 for the Hornets, who lost their fourth straight road game.
NUGGETS: Guard Jon Barry might be sidelined until late February with an injured right shoulder. Barry, a right-handed shooter, expects to be out about six weeks, or about 25 games, after surgery. Guard Jeff Trepagnier replaced Barry on the roster.
