Crawford, Knicks stop Heat

Jamal Crawford made 16 consecutive shots and scored a career-high 52 points, leading the New York Knicks to a 116-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Four nights after giving up 27 consecutive points in an embarrassing loss to a Miami team that was without Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, the Knicks took control with a run that was nearly as spectacular.

Crawford missed his first four shots, then didn’t miss again until 2:16 remained in the third quarter. The Knicks had a 20-point lead by then on their way to ending a two-game skid.

Crawford finished 20 for 30 from the field -- eight for nine from three-point range -- helping the Knicks shoot 53.6%. He left to a standing ovation with 6:51 remaining, shortly after his final basket allowed him to surpass the 50-point performance he had for Chicago against Toronto on April 11, 2004.

Wade scored 37 points for Miami, which lost for the fourth time in five games. O’Neal scored 11 points in 15 minutes. O’Neal, in his second game back after sitting out 35 in a row because of knee surgery, rejoined the starting lineup.

Allan Houston had the last 50-point game by a Knicks player, on March 16, 2003, against Milwaukee. The club record for consecutive baskets made is 19 by Johnny Newman, though not all in one game.

Atlanta 93, Orlando 90 -- Joe Johnson scored six consecutive points to give the Hawks a 91-86 lead with 59 seconds left at Orlando, Fla. The Magic pulled within 92-90 with 3.2 seconds left, but Johnson, who scored a season-high 39 points, made a free throw to finish the scoring.

Toronto 96, Boston 90 -- The Raptors took control at Toronto with a 19-0 fourth-quarter run to reach .500 (22-22) this late in the season for the first time since February 2003. The Celtics have lost 10 in a row -- their longest skid since losing 10 in a row from March 20 to April 7 in 2000.

Cleveland 105, Philadelphia 97 -- The Cavaliers, who had lost five of six, relied on a balanced offense without injured LeBron James, rallying from 17 points down at Philadelphia. James did not play because of a sore big toe on his right foot.

San Antonio 112, Memphis 96 -- Tim Duncan had 26 points, 13 rebounds and a career-best nine blocked shots at San Antonio, helping the Spurs win for the eighth time in 11 games. The Grizzlies dropped to 11-33 -- the worst record in the NBA.

Washington 99, Detroit 96 -- Antawn Jamison scored a season-high 35 points at Detroit to help the Wizards hold off the Pistons and retain the best record in the Eastern Conference at the midway point of the season.

Phoenix 98, Milwaukee 90 -- The Suns set a franchise record with their 16th consecutive victory by beating the Bucks at Milwaukee. The win gave the Suns a tie for the 10th-longest winning streak in NBA history and the longest since the Lakers won 19 straight in 2000.

New Orleans 88, Sacramento 84 -- Devin Brown, filling in for injured guard Chris Paul, made a three-point-basket and a free throw in the final 30 seconds to hold off the Kings at New Orleans.

Utah 116, Denver 111 -- The top two clubs in the Northwest Division both shot better than 50%, but the Jazz was stronger in the fourth quarter at Salt Lake City. Utah scored the final six points and shut down Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. Anthony scored 37 points, Iverson had 33.

Houston 99, Portland 69 -- The Trail Blazers shot a season low 36% (26 for 72) at Houston. The Rockets improved to 12-0 when they hold an opponent under 80 points.

Seattle 102, Minnesota 100 -- The Timberwolves had a chance to give new Coach Randy Wittman his first win, but Trenton Hassell missed an open 18-footer with three seconds left at Seattle.