N.Y. snaps eight-game skid to Boston

Doleac scored the Knicks' final four points and grabbed eight of his nine rebounds while playing the entire fourth quarter, helping New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics 89-86 Monday night.

"It's always good when the coach shows confidence in you and you can kind of prove him right," said Doleac, who subbed for the ineffective Dikembe Mutombo throughout the final quarter.

Doleac came out of the University of Utah with a degree in human biology, and he has been toying with the idea of applying for medical school throughout his five NBA seasons.

He considered taking the MCAT entrance exam last summer, then decided to put it off because the results become void after three years.

The way the 7-foot Doleac figures it, he'll be playing professional basketball for at least that long -- especially if he can continue to make more of the timely plays he made Monday.

"My job in the NBA is to try to rebound, defend and knock down open jumpers no matter how much you play or how little you play," he said. "I still aspire to be in medical school, that's always been my goal. I like orthopedics, I like cardiology, there's so many things to be interested in."

Doleac made up for two turnovers and a missed open jumper earlier in the fourth by hitting the Knicks' final shot from the field with 1:55 left. Doleac's two free throws with 5.4 seconds remaining provided the final margin.

Paul Pierce missed an off-balance 3-pointer on Boston's last possession.

The win was only the third of the season for the Knicks, who got 26 points from Allan Houston and 21 from Keith Van Horn -- 13 in the third quarter when the Knicks made up most of a 17-point deficit.

Kurt Thomas added 12 points and 17 rebounds, and Howard Eisley had nine assists. New York snapped its eight-game losing streak to the Celtics.

Vin Baker led Boston with 20 points, and Pierce and Eric Williams added 17 each.

After trailing for almost the entire first half, the Knicks came back and finally took their first lead since the first quarter, 85-84, on a 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper by Houston with 3:46 left.

Two foul shots by Pierce and a 19-foot jumper by Doleac represented all the scoring over the next three minutes, and Boston got the last possession after Pierce blocked Houston's short jump shot with 12 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, the Celtics went for a quick 3-pointer off the inbounds pass but Pierce's attempt rolled around and out.

Boston had to foul twice to send the Knicks to the line, and there were only 5.4 seconds remaining when Doleac calmly sank both shots.

"It's a tough loss to swallow," Pierce said. "At halftime I told them this could easily be a .500 team. They're not going to lay down, and they're going to give us a fight."

Game notes
Knicks F Antonio McDyess will scrimmage five-on-five at practice Tuesday, the next step in his recovery from a fractured kneecap. McDyess hasn't played in 13 months. ... Houston missed a free throw in the third quarter, ending his streak of consecutive makes at 33. ... With the Knicks getting little from Charlie Ward in a reserve role, Frank Williams was the backup point guard in the fourth quarter. His behind-the-back pass to Thomas for a jumper made it 78-78 with 6:18 left. ... The game was briefly delayed early in the fourth quarter when one of the Knicks' dancers accidentally fired a T-shirt launcher, sending several shirts onto the court.