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Tuesday, Mar. 13 7:30pm ET
Knicks get balanced effort in romp

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

NEW YORK (AP) – Larry Johnson missed another game, yet the Knicks didn't miss him. They didn't miss Latrell Sprewell, either.

Glen Rice scored 17 points in his first start since Dec. 30 and New York easily overcame the absence of two starters to defeat Cleveland 98-79 Tuesday night.

Sprewell sat out with an upper respiratory infection and Johnson missed his fourth straight game with a sore back.

"You've got to give a lot of credit to the guys that stepped their game up, guys who got some minutes and took advantage of it," Rice said. "We've got a lot of talent on this team, and we're always telling guys to stay ready."

Allan Houston scored 20 points, Marcus Camby had 18, Othella Harrington came off the bench to add 12 and Mark Jackson had 10 assists for the Knicks, who had lost their previous four meetings with the Cavs.

New York broke the game open with a 23-4 run midway through the second quarter. Harrington, finally seeing some extended playing time after being acquired from Vancouver in January, hit all five of his shots in the quarter and grabbed three rebounds.

His 12 points were his most since joining the Knicks on Jan. 30. In his 20 games with New York, he sat out seven of them because of the coach's decision.

"I knew LJ and Kurt (Thomas) and Marcus were Jeff (Van Gundy's) guys, so I knew I'd have to come in and work hard and prepare myself to play," Harrington said.

Seldom-used rookie Lavor Postell also saw some rare daylight, playing 18 minutes and scoring seven points.

Postell was on the floor during the second-quarter run when the Knicks turned a 28-27 lead into a 51-31 advantage. The Cavaliers went right at him, calling five consecutive isolation plays for Jimmy Jackson as he was being guarded by Postell. Jackson scored on only two of those plays, while the Knicks scored on 10 consecutive possessions to open a double-digit lead they never lost.

"I was a little shocked. I knew I'd play a little, but 18 minutes?" Postell said. "I brought a lot of energy out there and it felt good."

Houston restored a 20-point lead by making two free throws with 1:36 left in the third quarter, and the fourth quarter was barely competitive as New York led by as many as 23 points.

Chris Gatling led Cleveland with 13 points. Chris Mihm and Andre Miller added 12 each.

"They made us work for whatever we had to get. To come here and play this team you have to match that intensity. We allowed ourselves to succumb to it," Cavs coach Randy Wittman said.

Game notes
Johnson missed the game to consult with a doctor in Charlotte about his chronic back pain and his decision to stop taking anti-inflammatory pills. Johnson is afraid that long-term, regular use of the drug vioxx, which is similar to ibuprofen, might damage his stomach or liver. ... Sprewell has his streak of 28 consecutive double-figure scoring games snapped. ... Camby failed to reach double figures in rebounds for the first time in 13 games. He had seven rebounds and four blocks. ... The Knicks improved to 27-3 when scoring 90 or more points. ... Cleveland lost its fifth straight road game.

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Milwaukee 101
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Sacramento 114
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Houston 127
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Seattle 99
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LA Lakers 112
Boston 107


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