David Lee made 13-of-17 shots, on his way to
28 points, as the New York Knicks won their first game of the season with a
117-111 victory over the New Orleans Hornets at Madison Square Garden.
Lee also had eight rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost the first three games
of the season. Al Harrington added 24 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Larry Hughes ended with 20 points and six boards. Chris Duhon finished with 18
points and nine assists for the victors.
Chris Paul had 32 points and 13 assists for the Hornets, who were coming off a
loss to the Celtics on Sunday. Emeka Okafor tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds,
while David West chipped in with 21 points in defeat.
The Knicks went on a 15-6 spurt to begin the fourth quarter. Harrington had
seven points during the flurry, which Duhon finished off with a three-point
play for a 92-87 edge with 7:14 remaining.
Moments later, a 12-2 run by New York put the hosts ahead by 12. Duhon's pair
of foul shots made 106-94 with 2:50 to go. The Knicks held on from there.
Down 6-2 early, New York ripped off 14 consecutive points. A pair of three-
pointers were made during the run, including Danilo Gallinari's trey to cap
the spurt and give the Knicks a 16-6 lead with 6:37 left. New York held a
31-24 edge after one period.
The Hornets used an 11-0 run in the second to cut the gap to one. Okafor's
slam and jumper made it 38-37 with 6:28 remaining until half. The Knicks led
58-52 at the break.
Trailing 67-58, New Orleans went on a 12-2 spurt to take a one-point lead.
Morris Peterson had five points during the run, including a layup to cap the
flurry with 4:51 to go. A Paul jumper made it 81-77 in favor of New Orleans
heading into the fourth.
Game Notes
Knicks reserve guard Nate Robinson will miss at least a week of action due to
a sprained left ankle...New York won both matchups with the Hornets last
season, but New Orleans is 8-5 over the past 13 meetings between the teams.
The Knicks have won 13 of the previous 19 contests in this series at MSG.
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