New York ? Even though he didn’t beat them, Michael Jordan proved he can still rattle the New York Knicks.

Jordan finished one point shy of 40 in what was likely his final game at Madison Square Garden as New York almost blew a late 15-point lead and came away with a 97-96 victory Sunday.

“We were throwing the ball all over the place. We weren’t executing the trap,” Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell said.

The sight of a certain player wearing No. 23 probably had something to do with it, too.

Recent Knicks history is littered with examples of them falling short of their goals every time Jordan got in their way. There were the five playoff defeats at the hands of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and the famous double-nickel game when Jordan returned from his first retirement in 1995 and scored 55.

A compelling final chapter would have been added if the Wizards could have won.

“I didn’t know how that would transpire,” Jordan said. “Perfect endings happen if you play hard and do all the necessary things you need to do, but I wasn’t trying to come up with something that would be a perfect ending.”

The Knicks led, 97-94, with less than 10 seconds remaining, but wouldn’t let Jordan go for the win. Sprewell fouled Jordan immediately after he received the inbounds pass, forcing him to shoot two free throws. He made both, but the Knicks ran out the clock.

Jordan, who scored 26 in the first half, shot 13-for-22, with a dozen of his field goals coming from outside, and 13-for-15 from the line for 39 points. He got little help, however, as Larry Hughes and Juan Dixon scored 13 each, and Jerry Stackhouse was held to five.

Nets 102, Hornets 92

New Orleans — Kerry Kittles scored 20 points, while Jason Kidd added 17 points and 10 assists as New Jersey snapped New Orleans’ eight-game winning streak.

New Jersey, which had lost four straight and seven out of eight, got an unexpected lift from reserve forward Brian Scalabrine, who averages three points a game. He tied a season high with 16 points.

Lakers 106, 76ers 92

Los Angeles — Shaquille O’Neal had 39 points and 10 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant added 28 points and nine assists as Los Angeles won for the ninth time in 10 games. Allen Iverson scored 30 points on 12-of-28 shooting for Philadelphia.

Pistons 107, Warriors 105

Auburn Hills, Mich. — Chauncey Billups hit a three-pointer as time expired to cap a 31-point performance and give Detroit its second straight win after a seven-game losing streak. After Gilbert Arenas missed a shot for Golden State with 5.8 seconds left, Billups took the inbounds pass and hit the winning shot over Arenas.

Magic 111, Nuggets 98

Orlando, Fla. — Tracy McGrady scored 43 points in three quarters, and Orlando extended its winning streak against Denver to 12 games. McGrady outscored Denver by himself in the first half, 37-32. For the game, he was 13-of-24, including 6-of-12 on threes.

Grizzlies 119, Raptors 106

Toronto — Pau Gasol tied a career-high with 32 points, and Stromile Swift had 23 points and 13 rebounds as Memphis won its third straight. Jason Williams added 17 points and 12 assists for Grizzlies.

Timberwolves 105,

Suns 98

Phoenix — Kevin Garnett had his fourth triple-double of the season, including the go-ahead baseline jumper with 1:04 to play. Garnett had his triple-double after three quarters, and finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.

Kings 107, Pacers 88

Sacramento, Calif. — Chris Webber had 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as Sacramento snapped a five-game skid to Indiana. The Pacers lost their fourth straight and ninth in a row on the road.

Spurs 94, Celtics 78

Boston — Tim Duncan scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just over three quarters.