Knicks' misses second straight game

Managing only one field goal during the final six minutes, the Knicks lost 85-77 Saturday night to the Miami Heat.

In the final seconds, Heat coach Stan Van Gundy walked down the sideline exchanging high fives with his assistants and players as Miami avenged a pair of lopsided losses to the Knicks earlier this season.

``We were upset about those losses, believe me, but it wasn't about anything other than us trying to get a win and play well,'' said Eddie Jones, whose 26 points included a jumper that put Miami ahead for good with 3:03 remaining.

Jones added six assists -- the last of which clinched the victory with 40 seconds remaining.

It was the first loss at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks under coach Lenny Wilkens, who was without Houston (sore knee) for the final 14 1/2 minutes. Wilkens also made a questionable decision by leaving Van Horn on the bench for almost the entire fourth quarter.

``In the beginning he struggled some, and then when the matchups went small we went small,'' said Wilkens, who played four reserves with Marbury for much of the final quarter. ``We had that lineup out there ... and it worked really well. We were right in the game.''

But not for long enough.

Without the outside shooting of Van Horn and Houston-- and with Marbury held scoreless in the second half on 0-for-6 shooting -- the Knicks shot 31 percent in the fourth quarter and were outscored 22-13.

Lamar Odom had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Caron Butler scored 17 for the Heat.

Michael Doleac scored 18 and Penny Hardaway 16 for the Knicks, whose reserves outscored their starters 39-38. Doleac and Hardaway each played 32 minutes while Van Horn played 26 and Houston 23.

``There were times I felt like checking myself into the game, and there were times I felt like I bailed out on the team,'' Houston said. ``But when I was out there, I don't know how it looked, but I know how it felt.''

Van Horn returned with 1:21 remaining and made one of two free throws 13 seconds later to leave Miami ahead 81-77.

``It's difficult coming in after sitting for so long, you're a little tight. But still, you have to have the confidence to knock that down,'' Van Horn said

Three defenders collapsed on Jones as he drove the lane on the Heat's next possession, and he passed the ball to Brian Grant for a wide-open 18-footer that gave Miami a six-point lead with 40.4 seconds left.

That ended all suspense, and Miami went on to win for only the third time in nine games while the Knicks dropped to 4-2 under Wilkens.

``New coach, new situation. Everyone's trying to figure everybody out,'' Van Horn said.

After Miami took a 23-14 lead late in the first quarter, the Knicks fought back in the second behind the play of reserves Doleac, Hardaway and Frank Williams.

Williams, who has taken over the backup point guard job from Moochie Norris, had three assists in a 13-2 run that gave the Knicks a 35-31 lead. Miami led 46-45 at halftime, and the game stayed tight through the third and fourth quarters with neither team leading by more than five.

Marbury finished with four points, failing to score over the final 39:18.

``Tonight was just an off-night for myself. I just wasn't into the game how I normally am. It happens,'' Marbury said. ``My timing was off. When I was supposed to shoot I was passing, and when I was supposed to shoot I passed.

``Those guys wanted the game more than us tonight.''

Notes:
Rafer Alston and Butler of Miami had a brief altercation on the bench during a timeout early in the third quarter. When Butler stood up to confront Alston, teammates and coaches separated the two. ... Knicks F Shandon Anderson, whose NBA-leading consecutive games streak ended at 543 Friday night, left thearena 90 minutes before tipoff because of a migraine headache.