Knicks Steal a Victory From Magic at the Finish

The New York Knicks can always count on their defense.

The Orlando Magic missed its last 12 shots, Chris Childs’ driving layup with 12.3 seconds to play gave New York its only lead, and the Knicks held on Tuesday night to win, 85-84, at Orlando, Fla.

“This was the most challenged we’ve been to win a game with mental toughness,” Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy said after his team overcame a poor shooting performance that included one field goal in an eight-minute span. “We could’ve gotten frustrated with so many misses of wide-open shots.”

Latrell Sprewell and Kurt Thomas, who started in place of the injured Marcus Camby, each had 22 points for the Knicks, who fell behind by 16 points in the first quarter and spent the rest of the game catching up.

Childs scored the winning basket off a turnover. The Knicks, second in the NBA in scoring defense, forced the turnover after Orlando’s Tracy McGrady inbounded the ball at midcourt to Darrell Armstrong.

Trapped between two defenders, Armstrong leaped to try to throw the ball back to McGrady. But the pass was altered by 7-footer Travis Knight, and Erick Strickland dived to deflect the ball to Childs.

“This game is so funny,” Childs said. “I made a turnover in the fourth quarter--a costly turnover--so the ball ended up back in my hands and I was able to redeem myself.”

Armstrong and McGrady missed jumpers in the closing seconds. Pat Garrity rebounded McGrady’s airball, but his layup rolled off the rim at the buzzer.

McGrady led the Magic with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Golden State 89, Chicago 77--Larry Hughes scored 25 points and the Warriors, the NBA’s worst defensive team, held the Bulls scoreless for nearly 8 1/2 minutes in the second half at Oakland.

The Warriors’ victory was tempered by news that forward Danny Fortson, the NBA’s leading rebounder, will have surgery on a stress fracture in his right foot today. In addition, Bobby Sura pulled up lame and left the court because of an apparent ankle injury with 4:33 to play.

Cleveland 117, Detroit 98--Trajan Langdon made all six of his three-point shots in the second half and scored a career-high 31 points to lead the Cavaliers at Cleveland.

The second-year guard from Duke, who played in only 10 games last season before suffering a knee injury and undergoing surgery, made 11 of 13 shots.

Houston 101, Indiana 89--Steve Francis scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half at Indianapolis to lead the Rockets to their first road victory of the season.

Portland 104, Washington 94--Steve Smith scored 22 points for the Trail Blazers at Washington.

Seattle 116, Dallas 110--Gary Payton led the SuperSonics with 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds at Dallas.

Around the League

Three men pleaded not guilty in Boston in the stabbing of Boston Celtic Paul Pierce and were ordered held on higher bail. William Ragland, 28, was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail. Trevor Watson, 34, was ordered held on $50,000 bail, and Tony Hurston, 31, was ordered held on $25,000 bail, according to James Borghesani, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. The three are accused of attacking Pierce at a Boston nightclub Sept. 25. Pierce, 22, required lung surgery after he was stabbed in the neck, back and chest, and hit over the head with a bottle. . . . The Indiana Pacers put former UCLA guard Tyus Edney on the injured list because of a foot problem and activated center Bruno Sundov. . . . Forward Otis Thorpe of the Charlotte Hornets will be sidelined for four weeks because of a strained foot muscle.