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Saturday, Dec. 30 7:30pm ET
Rice leaves game with sore foot

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- With Glen Rice headed for the sideline, the New York Knicks needed Allan Houston to rebound from his illness.

Houston got well in a hurry and scored 27 points, including a critical jumper with 50 seconds remaining, in the Knicks' 88-79 victory Saturday night over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

A stomach virus knocked Houston out of the Knicks' lineup for the first time in 258 games Friday night against Chicago. A sore foot would send Rice to the sideline for the second half of the Knicks' game Saturday night. The Knicks also were without Marcus Camby, who missed his fourth game because of a strained groin.

"We needed minutes from Allan," Van Gundy said. "We got more than just minutes. We got good minutes."

Houston said he became determined Friday night that he would play Saturday and felt better when he woke up in the morning.

Rice's foot was aggravated in Friday night's game and got worse Saturday. He said it has been bothering him for two months.

"It's pretty sore right now," Rice said. "But I haven't got time to rest it. The only thing I can do now is get a lot of treatment and hope it gets better."

The Wolves' Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, but his 16-game stretch of 20 points or more was snapped by Larry Johnson's defensive effort.

"Larry really anchored us tonight," Van Gundy said. "You don't stop Kevin Garnett. He's too good for that, but you can fight him. Larry did that. Larry is one of the best defensive forwards in basketball."

Minnesota led 19-17 in the first quarter but went the next 6:29 without a field goal. The Timberwolves never led again after being outscored 13-2 and falling behind 30-21.

But the Timberwolves pulled within 58-57 with 4:25 left in the third quarter. Latrell Sprewell, who had 27 points, took over and scored 10 points in a 12-5 run as the Knicks built their lead to 70-62.

The Knicks led 80-65 with 5:49 remaining, but the Wolves went on an 14-4 run to pull to 84-79 with 1:10 remaining on a three-point play by Wally Szczerbiak, who scored 22. Houston's jumper with 50 seconds left thwarted the Wolves' rally.

"We were scrambling and hustling out there, trying to make something happen," said the Wolves' Terrell Brandon, who had 13 points and 10 assists. "We had to keep reminding ourselves that a lot can happen in a short amount of time."

Game notes
The Knicks, who lead the NBA in scoring defense, held their 25th consecutive opponent under 100 points -- three games short of tying the NBA record. The Fort Wayne Pistons held 28 straight opponents under 100 during the 1954-55 season, the NBA's first using a shot clock. ... The Knicks outrebounded the Wolves 54-38, grabbing 15 on the offensive end. ... The Wolves' Chauncey Billups played though a broken tooth and cut lip that forced him to miss the second half of Thursday night's game against Atlanta.
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New York Clubhouse

Minnesota Clubhouse


RECAPS
Orlando 95
Boston 90

Houston 114
Dallas 99

Seattle 104
Charlotte 102

Miami 110
Detroit 102

San Antonio 89
Indiana 77

New York 88
Minnesota 79

Philadelphia 107
Sacramento 104

Phoenix 109
Toronto 103

Denver 120
Milwaukee 113

Golden State 102
Vancouver 101

LA Lakers 116
LA Clippers 114

FROM
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Kevin Garnett Official Site


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