Wizards Lose to Franchise Record-Setting Knicks
posted 10:19 pm Tue February 19, 2008 - Washington
Three-pointers from Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson and a pair of dunks from David Lee at the start of the extra period helped the Knicks pull away to win for only the second time in 11 games. New York broke the team mark of 19 overtime points, set in a victory over Detroit in 1964.
Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost nine of 10.On an evening when the Verizon Center had all the atmosphere of a local town gym hosting a rec game - the referees barely had to blow the whistle to be heard in the upper bowl - the teams went through the motions for 3½ quarters. They showed rust from the All-Star break by starting a combined 3-for-16 from the field - 1-for-8 for the Wizards and 2-for-8 for the Knicks.
Then again, neither team had done much to generate any excitement recently. The Wizards entered the All-Star weekend in a 1-8 slump, while the Knicks were on a 1-9 skid that has them buried in the cellar of the Atlantic Division. All-Star forward Caron Butler missed his sixth consecutive game for Washington - the Wizards are 2-8 when he doesn't suit up - and Gilbert Arenas is still weeks away from returning from knee surgery.
The Wizards led 81-72 with 7:30 to play, but the Knicks went on an 8-0 amble - six points came off free throws - to cut the lead to 81-80 with 5 minutes left. Jamison came to life with a scoop shot and a baseline jumper, and Roger Mason made two free throws after getting fouled attempting a layup in transition to push the lead back to seven. Mason's free throws were the first and only fast-break points scored by the Wizards in the second half.
But the Knicks ended regulation with an 8-1 run. Robinson's 3-pointer cut the lead to one with 1:23 to play. After misses at both ends, Jamison threw a wild pass in traffic that was picked off by Richardson, who started a fast break. Crawford was fouled attempting a layup and made a free throw, tying the game at 90 with 19.5 seconds remaining.
The Wizards held the ball for the last shot of regulation, but the crowd that had sat on its hands all game didn't rise to its feet until the clock hit 5 seconds, just before Antonio Daniels missed a 17-footer that meant 5 more minutes of basketball.
Neither team led by more than six in a first half that produced only six fast-break points combined. Randolph scored 17 points in the half, helping to compensate for the Knicks' 10 turnovers. Rookie Nick Young provided a spark for the Wizards in both halves and finished with 12 points.
The Knicks' nadir came when Fred Jones, the trailer on a fast break, missed badly attempting a flying one-handed dunk. The Wizards built a nine-point lead, but New York ended the quarter with a 6-0 run and trailed 70-67 going into the fourth. Notes: The Knicks won the season series 2-1.
Butler was hoping to play, but he had after another flare-up of his strained left hip flexor during the morning shootaround. "There's going to be some setbacks here and there," coach Eddie Jordan said. "And it was a setback."
Wizards C Etan Thomas also had a setback Monday in his first contact practice following open heart surgery in October. While Thomas' heart is fine, the workout showed that his sternum has yet to fully heal after being broken during the 4½-hour operation. "He felt he took a shot and he didn't really like the experience of that pain, so we might not see him for a while in some contact drills," Jordan said. "We're going to give him some more time."
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