MIAMI - The Knicks are coping just fine without Allan Houston. Stephon Marbury scored 16 in the first half, and New York held the Heat to a season-low total in a 76-64 victory Saturday.
New York extended its winning streak to four, even though Houston missed each because of sore knees.
"We're playing well right now, we're clicking," said forward Kurt Thomas, who scored 14 in the second half. "We're waiting for Allan to get back. We know we're going to be a much stronger team when he gets back."
The Heat scored just 10 in the fourth, going 6:11 without a field goal.
"Missing got contagious for us," forward Brian Grant said. "We missed a lot of open looks. You hate when that happens in such a crucial game, and we felt that this was a crucial game."
New York, seventh in the East, took three of four from Miami.
WIZARDS 106, CAVALIERS 88: Gilbert Arenas scored 26 and Jerry Stackhouse had 19 and 11 assists for Washington, which won its first road game since Dec. 6. It was Arenas' third game since returning from the injured list. He missed 26 with a strained abdomen. Carlos Boozer scored 19 for the Cavaliers, who have lost three consecutive.
In other Cleveland news, LeBron James has changed his mind regarding the All-Star Game. After being bypassed in voting by coaches, James said he didn't want to be an injury replacement. "I don't come second," he said. But James now will accept an offer if asked by David Stern. "It's probably better for me, better for the NBA and better for Cleveland."
CELTICS 110, 76ERS 80: Paul Pierce scored 35 and visiting Boston won its first under interim coach John Carroll. Ricky Davis had 20 and Walter McCarty 16 for Boston, which hadn't won since Jan. 23. Glenn Robinson scored 19 and Allen Iverson 15.
ROCKETS 86, HAWKS 77: Cuttino Mobley scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth as visiting Houston erased a 14-point deficit. Steve Francis scored 24 as the Rockets pushed their winning streak to three.
BUCKS 107, HORNETS 97: Michael Redd scored 25 and Brian Skinner 17 for Milwaukee, which never trailed and led by as much as 26. The Bucks improved to 20-5 at home and surpassed the Hornets for fourth place in the East.
MAVERICKS 111, PISTONS 108: Dirk Nowitzki scored 40 and Steve Nash 29, including six consecutive free throws in the final 18.5 seconds, for host Dallas. Chauncey Billups scored 17 for Detroit, which lost its third consecutive.
JAZZ 96, SUNS 92: Carlos Arroyo's 3-pointer with 35.2 seconds left lifted visiting Utah and gave coach Jerry Sloan his 900th victory. Amare Stoudemire tied a Phoenix record with 10 blocks.
LAKERS: Kobe Bryant will not play today against the Magic. Bryant, on the injured list with a cut on his finger, rejoined the Lakers but needs more time to heal.
