RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- The New York Knicks couldn't finish this
comeback.
After rallying from a 16-point deficit the previous night to win
in Orlando, the Knicks found themselves down by 21 against the
woeful Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
|  | | Jason Terry's Hawks lost almost all of their 20-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding off Latrell Sprewell and the Knicks. |
Despite a furious New York rally, the Hawks held on for a 78-74
victory, just their second of the season.
"It got tough at the end," Atlanta guard Jason Terry said.
"They kept fighting, but we held them off."
Jim Jackson scored 19 points for the Hawks, including a couple
of free throws that made it 59-38 with 3:57 left in the third
quarter. That marks Atlanta's biggest lead this season.
The Hawks (2-10) were still up by 20 with 9½ minutes remaining
but didn't seal the victory until Alan Henderson's three-point play
with 9.9 seconds to go.
"You get a little worried when the offense seems to get
timid," Terry said. "You've got to start attacking the basket.
When we did that, I think we handled their pressure pretty well."
Allan Houston hit a 3-pointer to bring New York to 75-71 with 18
seconds left. But the Hawks broke the press and Terry got the ball
ahead to Henderson, who scored despite a push in the back from
Houston.
Henderson added the free throw, and Houston's closing 3-pointer
was meaningless.
"This was a big confidence builder," Terry said. "We've had
leads this year and let them get away. Tonight, we didn't."
New York played its third straight game without Marcus Camby,
who has a sprained left ankle, and Charlie Ward also was out with a
sore right knee. Making the situation worse, backup center Felton
Spencer went down with a sprained right knee in the first quarter;
he didn't return.
But the Knicks were still disappointed by their performance
against one of the league's weakest teams.
"It doesn't take a genius to see we didn't play well," said Latrell
Sprewell, who scored 16 points but had five turnovers. "I don't
know the reason. This was one of those games we should have won."
Dampening Atlanta's mood, Jackson was hurt with about five
minutes left. Kurt Thomas fell while fighting for position under
the basket, rolling into the back of Jackson's right knee.
The preliminary diagnosis was a sprained medical collateral
ligament. Jackson was scheduled for an MRI to determine the
seriousness of the injury.
"I don't think it's anything season-ending," he said. "But it
might take a week or so to heal."
After scoring the first seven points, the Knicks went into a fog
for nearly three quarters. New York managed just 30 points in the
first half, shot 41 percent and was outrebounded 42-30.
"I think they were a little tired with the game last night,"
Atlanta's DerMarr Johnson said.
The Hawks were up 71-51 when Terry hit a driving shot with 9:33
remaining, then wound up barely getting the win.
The Knicks began the comeback with a 9-0 spurt, holding Atlanta
scoreless for more than four minutes. The Hawks shot only 39.7
percent (27-of-68) but kept giving themselves second chances with
15 offensive rebounds.
Houston had 21 points, but New York squandered a shot at its
first three-game winning streak of the season.
"That's very frustrating," Houston said. "We're not able to
get a streak going. We have a game like this and don't give
ourselves a chance to win."
Game notes
Atlanta's biggest lead in a game until Wednesday was 18
points against the Los Angeles Clippers. ... Dikembe Mutombo had
three blocks but settled for second-best on the Hawks behind
Johnson. The rookie had four in his third straight start. ...
Houston was 3-of-3 beyond the 3-point stripe.
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NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 96
Houston 81
Atlanta 78
New York 74
Charlotte 88
Philadelphia 73
Cleveland 86
Miami 67
Portland 93
Milwaukee 84
Minnesota 101
Vancouver 100
San Antonio 112
Seattle 85
Phoenix 97
New Jersey 85
Utah 116
Denver 78
LA Lakers 111
Golden State 91
Sacramento 100
Chicago 71
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