NBA

Poor start but gem of finish for Knicks

NEW YORK - After playing poorly in the first half, the New York Knicks went with a smaller lineup and earned their biggest win of the season.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson lifted the Knicks to a 105-102 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Stephon Marbury scored a season-high 33 points and rookie Channing Frye added 21 points and 11 rebounds for New York, which rallied from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter and then squandered a nine-point lead in the fourth.

"We got really aggressive, especially when we went small," Knicks coach Larry Brown said. "We got loose balls, we didn't turn the ball over, and we got second shots. We really hurt them on the boards."

Allen Iverson had 40 points and 10 assists and Chris Webber scored 19 points for Philadelphia, which has lost four of five. Webber tipped in an Iverson miss with 0.6 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

The 76ers, who trailed by six in overtime, tied it on an Iverson 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining. The Knicks pushed the ball up the court, and Robinson took a 23-foot jumper from the right side just before the buzzer.

"I just knew if I get it up high enough, I would have a good chance of making it," Robinson said. "So I just shot it hard and let it go."

TIMBERWOLVES 89, CAVALIERS 85: Kevin Garnett and Marko Jaric made jumpers in the final minute, barely beating the shot clock both times, as visiting Minnesota beat Cleveland for its first road win.

LeBron James scored a season-high 38 points, but the Cavs shot a season-low 32 percent and lost for the first time in seven games at home. Drew Gooden had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, which has dropped two straight after an eight-game winning streak.

Garnett scored 26 points and Troy Hudson 18 - all in the second half - for the Timberwolves, who came in 0-4 away from home. Wally Szczerbiak added 16 points and Eddie Griffin had 12 rebounds for Minnesota.

James didn't get much help from his teammates, as Larry Hughes (3-for-16), Donyell Marshall (0-for-9) and Damon Jones (0-for-6) combined to go 3-for-31 with 13 points - 23 below their average.

BOBCATS 100, WIZARDS 82: Gerald Wallace scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and host Charlotte beat Washington for its first victory over its Southeast Division rival.

The Wizards won all four meetings between the teams last season when Charlotte was an expansion franchise. But they followed Friday's 120-114 double-overtime victory at Detroit with a poor effort in Charlotte.

Gilbert Arenas, the NBA's third-leading scorer who had 39 points against the Pistons, had two points in the second half and finished with 11. He was scoreless in the third quarter, when the Bobcats took control and opened an 11-point lead.

Emeka Okafor had a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds for Charlotte.

Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Washington.

The Bobcats used a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take a 69-58 lead with about a minute left in that period. The Wizards closed with eight at the end of the period, but Charlotte quickly regained a double-figure lead in the fourth.

HORNETS 105, SUPERSONICS 99: David West scored 21 points in the latest in a string of strong performances, and New Orleans won consecutive games for the second time this season with a victory over host Seattle.

West averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds in his previous three games. He was 7-of-12 from the field and grabbed five rebounds against Seattle.

The Hornets had six players in double figures, including 17 points and 10 assists from rookie point guard Chris Paul. J.R. Smith added 19 points - nine in the fourth quarter - and reserves Speedy Claxton and Desmond Mason each had 14.

New Orleans, which beat Atlanta and Orlando the week before last for its first two-game winning streak since 2003, defeated Minnesota on Wednesday and has won four of its last five.

Rashard Lewis led six Seattle players in double figures with 21 points, but Seattle was outscored 34-12 at the free throw line.

New Orleans broke a five-game losing streak to the SuperSonics and handed Seattle its third straight loss.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 01:18:21]