SALT LAKE CITY - Larry Brown is getting his point across about defense.
Jamal Crawford scored 20 and the Knicks held Utah scoreless for almost 91/2 minutes in the third quarter while pulling ahead for their second straight win, 73-62 on Monday night.
The Knicks set a team record for fewest points allowed in the shot-clock era and won for only the second time under their new coach. Their mark was 63 allowed to the Bulls on Feb. 21, 1999.
Although New York played the night before in a 105-95 win at Sacramento, it was the Jazz who looked weary while shooting 27-for-75 - the worst percentage in team history (29.3).
"It was a low-scoring, ugly game," said Quentin Richardson, who had 12 points for New York. "We both slowed the game down. It got ugly for a while."
Injuries hurt Utah, which had only 11 healthy players. Rookie Deron Williams led the Jazz with 18 points and five assists.
The young lineup, which included two players making their NBA debuts and another in his first start, struggled after taking a 40-37 lead early in the third.
The Knicks scored the next 14 points while holding the Jazz scoreless from Andre Owens' layup with 10:45 remaining until Milt Palacio's steal and layup with 1:16 left in the quarter.
The run put the Knicks up 55-44 entering the final quarter. They forced the Jazz into some poor shot selection with the clock winding down, and Utah was just 2-for-18 in the quarter.
"We don't have a choice," Antonio Davis said of Brown's emphasis on defense. "Larry won't let you play if you don't work on D."
GRIZZLIES 85, LAKERS 73: Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead host Memphis to its fourth straight win over Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 18 points and was 7-of-18 from the field, turning in his second low-scoring performance after scoring 17 Friday against Philadelphia. Helped by a 3-pointer from Bobby Jackson and a running layup by Eddie Jones, Memphis launched its first offensive burst with a 10-2 run early in the second to take a 34-27 lead. The Grizzlies held a 42-33 advantage at the half and kept up the pressure in the third with a 10-0 run that Shane Battier started with a 3-pointer.
