Knicks beat Bucks, bail out Chaney

The New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak and might have saved Chaney's job Saturday night by shutting out the Milwaukee Bucks in the final three minutes of a 94-88 victory.

Kurt Thomas had a season-high 28 points and 16 rebounds, Allan Houston scored 26, Stephon Marbury had 14 points and 11 assists and Penny Hardaway added 14 points off the bench.

New York snapped Milwaukee's five-game winning streak and beat the Bucks for the first time in three tries this season.

Chaney would not concede that the victory might have been crucial to his continued employment.

``I've said this before: We have to get to the playoffs,'' Chaney said. ``One win or loss shouldn't make a difference.''

Two nights after the crowd at Madison Square Garden chanted ``Fire Chaney'' several times during a blowout loss to Houston, the fans' loudest chant was ``Dee-fense'' -- and the Knicks listened down the stretch.

``Our guys communicated well and did a good job of reacting to the ball. A couple of times T.J. Ford drove the ball into the middle and there were four guys there,'' Chaney said. ``We were definitely more alert tonight than we were against Houston.''

Milwaukee tied the game at 88 after Ford stripped Marbury and found Joe Smith for a layup with 3:09 remaining.

Houston hit a jumper from the right corner to break the tie with 2:18 left, and the Bucks had turnovers on their next three possessions. It stayed a two-point game, however, as New York missed three jumpers and then committed a turnover off a bad pass by Marbury with 32 seconds left.

The Bucks got the ball to Tim Thomas for a bank shot from 14 feet that rolled out with 11.8 seconds left. Hardaway was fouled and calmly made both for a four-point lead that clinched it.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 19 points, and Desmond Mason had 17.

The Knicks continue a five-game homestand Monday against Dallas, and any kind of a sustained slide -- even with Marbury having played only three games since New York acquired him from Dallas -- will inevitably lead to more speculation about Chaney's job security.

``When we win four in a row nobody gives him credit, when we lose they give him the credit,'' Houston said. ``(Team president Isiah Thomas) has been around long enough to know when you make a big trade you don't judge it off of one or two games.''

Prior to the game, Isiah Thomas said he still has confidence in Chaney, though it took some prompting to get him to say so.

``We have a responsibility to try to be the best and to keep moving to be the best, and Don's confident that he can do that, the players have confidence in him, and my job is to sit back and evaluate and see where that process is going,'' Thomas said.

Only when asked if he, too, had confidence in Chaney did Thomas say he did.

Chaney has compiled a record of 72-111 since taking over as coach of the Knicks in Dec. 2001 following Jeff Van Gundy's resignation.

``To me it's not that hard,'' Chaney said. ``I have to win games, and he hasto make a decision eventually in terms of what he's going to do.''

Notes:
Knicks F Keith Van Horn hyperextended his right knee early in the third quarter and did not return. He was to undergo an MRI late Saturday night. ... Bucks coach Terry Porter was incredulous when Redd was called for a palming violation with under two minutes remaining. As Marbury brought the ball upcourt following the turnover, Porter mimicked his dribbling style to show that Marbury was palming the ball, too. ... The Knicks drew their sixth consecutivesellout crowd.